Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When he returned from his mission it was late, closer to the next morning than the one previous. He never liked being near people of any kind, only tolerating those closest to him, so this solitude was more than fine with him. People were too loud, too noisy, and too cruel, he always preferred to be on his own, in the background. He’d rather have everyone but the two he loved most disappear.

Since it was so late he wasn’t expecting anyone to be up to greet him, maybe some men getting an early start to the work day, but nothing more. What he didn’t expect, however, was the strong scent of blood and smoke, that when he finally reached the edge of town there would be nothing but gore and carnage. People he hadn’t given the time to really get to know but had grown accustomed to seeing in his day to day life laid about covered in so much blood, their bodies long frozen over with death's cold grip; the houses surrounding the middle of town were in flames, almost completely destroyed. Looking up from the horrors in front of him, he spotted a huge, billowing cloud of smoke far in the distance. Right where the one place he could have ever called home was, right where the two people he could have ever really considered family lived.

As panic set in, he broke out into a dead sprint, praying to the gods above that they were alive, that for once could they please just let this small piece of happiness survive.

A small sound of glass breaking could be heard deep in his heart as, once again, his fragile box of happiness was mercilessly cracked.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was early, too early in fact. It’s early enough for no one else in the world to be up, only the hidden ghosts of the past there to send him off. The sun was still sleeping herself, yet to bless the lands with her pleasant warmth. He picked this time to get up for a reason, he didn’t want anybody to send him off, didn’t want to be hugged, nor the tearful “have a safe trip” from the people he begrudgingly cared about. However, when you lived with not one but two people with stupidly acute hearing it was near impossible to sneak out. The telltale sounds of small feet quickly approaching, the light but loud stomping on the wooden floors an indication that someone had noticed his missing heartbeat. The one he least wanted to know…

He had just finished putting his sandals on, standing up straight and proud, about to make his quick escape when something light, lighter than it ever should be, no matter how much he or Master made him eat, rammed right into his back.

“NII-CHAN DON’T GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'' screamed Zenitsu, clinging to Kaigaku’s middle with his arms, his shorter legs wrapped around the older teen's own like some kind of koala, babyface  already a mess of snot and tears as he cried hard enough that his body shook. This was the last thing he needed, an overly distressed omega clinging to him. He sighed aggressively, taking deep breaths and even using the counting method the blond taught him to calm down, but as the wails continued to grow in volume it was all for naught.

“Let go of me, you dumbass!” Kaigaku yelled back, grabbing the back of the omega’s sleepwear, trying to pull him off. But Zenitsu held on; whenever he was distressed he gained this tremendous strength.

“Why couldn’t he use this while training?” pondered Kaigaku as he stared at the trembling kid in his grasp.

“No! No nononononono!! I refuse!! I REFUSE!!!” The omega cried out, wiping his snot all over Kaigaku’s pants like the nasty ass child that he was.
“Wh-what if you get lost and never find your way back???? What if you get really hurt!!! Or lose a limb!!! WHAT IF YOU DIE!!!!! I DON’T WANT THAT!!! YOU CAN'T DIE NII-CHAN, PLEASE DON’T GOOO!!!”. His screams pittered into a pathetic whine as he gripped on even tighter, the scent of fear palpable on the alpha’s tongue. Kaigaku’s turquoise eyes softened just slightly but then he remembered the snot soaking into his pants and he went right back to glaring at him.

“I’m not gonna die, stupid! Unlike you I know what I’m doing and I know how to do it well! And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me 'Nii-chan'?”. The alpha sighed, irritated at having to deal with such a high-strung and easily stressed omega so early in the goddamn morning, even though it was his fault that this was even happening. Surely if he had just waited until they were all awake the elder of the house would have lessened the omega’s panicking, making this whole process easier to handle.

The pair were too engrossed with their back and forth to notice the old man who had made his way over to the genkan, whose eyebrow was twitching at the display before him. That was, until they both felt his wrath in the form of a swift and hard hit to the head with the top of his wooden cane. The omega let go of Kaigaku to grab his head and roll around the floor screaming in pain.

“Shut up! Do you know what time it is?!” Jigoro scolded as he lowered his cane. Huffing, he knelt down and pat the sniffling omega’s head. “Zenitsu, you know I wouldn’t be sending him off if I wasn’t positive that he was ready.” Kaigaku smirked as he watched Zenitsu get scolded but it quickly faded once his Master looked at him. “And you! What do you think you’re doing? Leaving before we can even say goodbye? No manners I swear…” He pointed his cane at the young alpha. “And your brother has every right to be worried, even if his method of showing it is a little... much, it’s only natural considering what you’re leaving for.” He motioned for Kaigaku to bend down, and patted his head once he did. Kaigaku blushed and let out a deep scowled, he wasn’t a child who needed their head patted dammit! It didn't matter how he actually lived for those moments, how he was loving the attention and didn't bother to move or stop the elder from doing it. He’d honestly rather die than let them know he loved them and the affection they willingly gave to him.

“You’re lucky we heard you sneaking out! Otherwise you would have missed out on the surprise Zenitsu made ya!” The omega in question shot up from his spot on the floor, quickly nodding his head at Jigoro’s words.

“Right!!” Zenitsu reached into his yukata and pulled out a small charm, its fabric the same warm sunset gradient that Jigoro had forced upon him, an opposite to the cold storm gradient he was assigned.

“It’s for good luck! I made it myself with some help from Jii-chan…” he blushed, lightly holding it out to Kaigaku. “Jii-chan and I scented it too, sooo if you ever get lonely or something you can, ya know…” he trailed off, waiting for his senior to take it, big honey-golden eyes looking hopeful, a small, shy smile on his lips.

Kaigaku stared at the offending object, an uncomfortably warm feeling filling his chest, his eyes stinging the tiniest bit. When was the last time someone had done something like that for him? Never? The only thing remotely close was the time his mother left him the choker he’d been wearing since he learned to tie a knot. Right before she left him all alone in a world that clearly didn’t want him.

He’d been staring for too long- Zenitsu’s arm dropped a bit, his smile faltering, the scent of disappointment and sadness pouring off of him in waves, choking the alpha. Before the omega could retract it, Kaigaku snatched it from his petite, pale hands; causing the blond to flinch at the suddenness.

“Thanks…” he whispered, turning his head to the side in a futile attempt of hide the blush adoring most of his face. The smile that bloomed on Zenitsu’s sweet, freckled face was blinding regardless; ecstatic that his brother didn’t hate his little gift. They’d really grown close that past year. Their first time meeting each other had ended with Kaigaku telling him very matter-of-factly that he hated Zenitsu’s guts, that he’d never be anything and that he should just go anywhere else. Zenitsu knew all this already, was growing numb to those words, but that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt. A sharp knife stabbed into his heart each time someone muttered them at him.

He wasn't entirely sure what changed it, maybe one too many hits from his Master, or maybe it was because of Zenitsu's nature. As an omega, he was born to be comforting- his scent sweet and homely, hands warm and soft, voice full of unconditional affection and love; things that were surprisingly rare, especially in an orphan's life. Or maybe it was just fate. One night after another day of many failed attempts to learn the first form, Kaigaku found himself huddled in the blond’s thin arms, held like he was someone worth it, spilling his guts out to the omega and the kind moon who was watching them through the open window. Zenitsu had every right to laugh at him, an alpha with insecurities willing to cry about them, an alpha who laughed at him and his own shortcoming, who had hit him and made fun of him on any and every occasion. But he didn't. No, instead he sat there with Kaigaku, cuddling him and chasing his fears away. He didn't look at the alpha with pity or sick amusement, his golden honey eyes only filled with understanding. Once Kaigaku was done, instead of calling him weak and pathetic he just smiled sweetly at him and thanked him for being honest and for trusting him enough to talk about such deep insecurities. After that night, they learned to get along, almost like a family. Kaigaku no longer took his frustrations out by bullying Zenitsu, instead trying to open up more in the comforts of their shared room late into the night and allowing Zenitsu do the same, petting his blond locks as he cried when things became too much and his emotions overflowed.

He wasn't sure what possessed him to do any of the things he did that fateful night, but if he was thrown back in time he would do it again. If it meant he would get to see Zenitsu’s face break out into a big cheerful grin, overjoyed that his big brother accepted his gift. To have him leaped into his arms, pulling him into a tight hug as he giggled weirdly. He wouldn't want to change this for anything in the world. Things weren't perfect, and they never will be. Kaigaku was still a young alpha with anger issues, he still has his slip ups and will continue to accidentally hurt Zenitsu. But unlike before he'll apologize later when he’s calmed down, try to make up and better himself.

“Alright, alright that’s enough! You better get going before you’re late!” Jigoro interfered. Zenitsu reluctantly let go as the elder pushed Kaigaku out with his cane. The alpha nodded his head and turned around to leave, but hesitated, bringing the charm up to his nose and taking a small sniff. Zenitsu’s candied peach and tangy citrus scent mixed with Jigoro’s strong pine and fresh rain permeated the entire charm. A sob lodged in his throat at the thought of them caring so much for him.

He quickly tied the charm to the hilt of the sword he had borrowed for the final selection. With one final nod he stepped through the door, making it part way down the path before he heard his name again. Looking back at the sight before him almost made him cry for the umpthenth time today, but as a prideful alpha he held these emotions in to deal with later.

“Be safe Nii-chan! Don’t forget, we're waiting for you to come back!” Zenitsu yelled, waving his arm excitedly. “AND DON’T DIE OR I'LL CRY!!” he added on. Jigoro stood silently next to him, looking proud.

“You’ll cry either way…”

With that last thought, he turned back around and continued down the path ahead of him.

~~~~~~~~~~

It took him about a week and a half to reach Fujikasane Mountain on foot, the grounds already full of people his age or a bit older. Most were practicing their forms while others chatted among themselves. Kaigaku didn’t even take a second to look at any of them, from what Master had told him most of these kids wouldn’t be making it back anyway. He situated himself near the back, away from everyone else, and looked at the many wisteria trees surrounding them. The soft, lavender color calming his nerves as he grabbed one of the lower branches to inspect the delicate flowers more closely.

“I should bring some back to Zenitsu, he likes dumb shit like flowers.” he thought, plucking some of them off idly, dropping the now bruised petals to the ground.

He had plucked most of the branch bare when everyone suddenly stopped talking. They all moved to stand straight, facing the front where the entrance to the demon-filled forest was. He couldn’t see much from the back, but he heard the gentle, almost dreamlike voices of two young girls.

“Greetings everyone, thank you all for joining tonight’s final selection.” started one of the voices. “This mountain is filled with many demons brought back by demon slaying swordsmen. They are unable to leave.” Standing on the tips of his toes he could see them slightly, the one with black hair just finishing her talk.

“This is because halfway up the mountain wisteria blooms all year-round.” The one with white hair finished looking up towards the many trees around them, her movement slow, as if she was trapped in molasses. Kaigaku squinted his eyes to try and get a better look, not wanting to move closer to the rest of them. The twins up front were dressed in the same fancy black and white kimono, the patterns too far and too small for him to really see but he could tell they were expensive. They were also holding the same lantern, and had the same flower pin in their hair. Everything besides their hair color was the exact same. It was a little creepy if he was being honest with himself.

“However,” the black-haired one continued, “From here on out there won’t be any more wisteria to protect you. For seven nights straight you must survive to pass the final selection.” The girls‘ eyes swept the area, taking a good look at everyone but they seemed to linger on Kaigaku, staring into him and picking him apart, challenging him, calling him weak. He braved a glare back at them but the contact didn’t last long as they both bowed deeply.

“Now, let the final selection begin!” They said in sync, stepping aside to let the slayers through. It didn’t take long for every potential slayer (or meal) to run into the dark, forbidding forest ahead. He followed suit. Once past the gate, he ran in the direction the least of them took; he was not going to have some loser drag him down.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first half was uneventful- well, as uneventful as a mountain full of demons could be. Kaigaku spent his days sleeping or gathering water and whatever food he could while the nights consisted of tense movements and brutal fights. Brutal for the others, he assumed, as most of the demons he’d encountered couldn’t stand against his speed; one second they were ready to attack, the next their head was a few feet away from their body, their minds too slow to enact a proper counter move. He didn't even have to use his forms that much, thats how weak these demons were, child's play really.

It was around the fifth night that he ran into some trouble- or more like trouble ran into him. He stopped at a nearby tree, leaning against its rough bark to catch his breath. How many fucking demons were there? He had killed way more than he was expecting. The latest one got a few good hits on him too, as fatigue got to him, slowing him down. His left ankle was sprained from landing on it wrong and his nose was bleeding from one too many hits to the face. He was gonna have a black eye for sure.

He relaxed slightly, just enough to catch his breath and soothe his burning lungs, but still remained vigilant; another demon could pop up at any time. He looked up into the sky, trying to find the moon, to see how much longer he had to wait until sunrise so he could pass the fuck out already, but where he stood was too dense, the foliage concealing the beautiful night sky. He took one more deep breath then pushed himself off of the tree. He had to get moving, too dangerous to stick to one spot, especially while bleeding. Just as he took his first step, he heard screaming and frantic footsteps rushing right towards him.

Fuck.

Two other participants ran towards him with a few weak demons not far behind. He should just sneak away while he could, this was not his problem! He was about to when his conscience, which sounded eerily like Zenitsu’s high pitched whine, told him he needed to stay, needed to help them. He could also feel a phantom pain on the top of his head, where his Master would smack him with his cane for leaving them alone to die. Sighing in heavy aggravation, he turned back, stepping out right in front of them, grabbing the hilt of his sword. Taking a deep breath, he got into form- right foot in the front, left in the back, bending his right knee lightly, bending himself forward at the waist. He felt the slight, welcomed tingle from the electricity rushing through his body, manifesting around his hands and sword and waited for the two weaklings to run past him.

Breath of Thunder Third Form: Thunder Swarm

Using his good foot he pushed himself forward, once the tips of his toes were all that was left on the ground he twisted himself into a fast, counter-clockwise spin. When he was in between the three demons running his way, he pulled his sword out, using the momentum of the spin to cut the left one’s head clean off while slicing the right one’s arm off and body slamming into the third, grazing its chest with the swarm of lighting surrounding him. Landing on the ground, Kaigaku flipped himself off of the third, gritting his teeth as he landed on his bad foot a few feet away.

He held his sword in front of him, waiting for one of the others to attack first, he couldn’t make too many unnecessary movements, couldn’t make his sprain worse or use up the energy he desperately needed. The demon whose arm he had sliced off (and that had grown back) attacked first, dashing over to him, arms low, going for a slash to his stomach. The alpha raised his sword up, left elbow high, holding the hilt to the sky while the blade ran diagonally across his face. He stared the oncoming demon down and waited until the last second for his own attack.

Breath of Thunder Fifth Form: Heat Lightning

Kaigaku quickly dodged to the left, his arms straightening out to keep the blade in the demon's path. Using the demon’s momentum against it, he twisted his own body at the waist, slicing forward as the demon continued running where Kaigaku used to be, effectively helping slice its own head off. Two down, one to go. He whipped his blade down, cleaning the demon blood off of it. Turning his head to the last demon, he was surprised and very suspicious as to why it hadn’t yet attacked. They would have had a better chance if they both went at him. However, when he looked in the direction where the demon had been, he saw nothing but empty space. Where the fuck did it go?

Sweat dripped down Kaigaku’s brow. He was already close to his limit and his last attack making the air around him humid and heavy didn’t help at all. He stayed where he was, focusing on his hearing- it wasn’t anywhere near as good as Zenitsu’s or Master’s, but it was better than most thanks to his training. He listened closely, his eyes closed. Everything had a sound, and nothing was ever silent. Taking small breaths he willed himself to quiet down and just listen.

Above him he could hear the leaves rustle in the wind, but the ones directly above him were moving more so. That’s where the bastard was, huh? He looked right and then left, making it seem as if he was still looking for the missing demon. He gave a light shrug and acted like he was going to leave, putting his sword back into its sheath. Just as he had made his first step, he could hear the demon jump down, thinking he’d caught Kaigaku off guard. Grabbing his sword hilt again, he prepared himself.

Breath of Thunder Sixth Form: Rumble-

“BREATH OF WATER FIRST FORM: WATER SURFACE SLASH!!” came a deep voice from behind. Some alpha with a pink mullet, a fox mask, and an ugly ass green and yellow yukata came barreling through, effortlessly killing the demon above Kaigaku. Some of the water from his attack hit Kaigaku in the face, its cool temperature welcoming to his overheated skin, but he couldn’t appreciate it due to the sheer disbelief and anger rising up in his chest. He violently twisted himself to fully face the bastard, wanting to have a few choice words with the fox boy. But he left as quickly as he came, leaving Kaigaku with an overwhelming feeling of irritation. That fucking bastard!

“I DIDN’T NEED YOUR HELP, PINKIE!” he yelled in the direction the teen had left in. if he wasn’t pissed before about having to deal with some other kids’ mess he was fucking beyond angry now. How dare that fox fucker think he could show up all “heroic” and shit, stealing Kaigaku’s kill. He swore if he ever saw the pink-haired bitch again he was gonna throw hands. Huffing, he put his blade away and made his way in the other direction. He was too tired for this shit.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was finally over- seven days of complete hell done. Kaigaku wanted nothing more than to sleep for a month, but he had a week-and-a-half trip back home ahead of him. He slowly made his way back to the clearing surrounded by wisteria. Upon reaching it, his turquoise eyes widened in surprise; it seemed like everyone had survived. The clearing was just as full as it was the first day. Which was bullshit- he had seen firsthand how weak some of those slayers were, had to rescue some even! It didn’t take long for the two girls from before to show up again and congratulate everyone on surviving.

“It seems this time we only had one death. Good job everyone, you’ll all be great slayers.” said the black haired one, bowing to them. Only one? Who, who was it that bit the dust? Kaigaku looked around, trying to see if he could tell who hadn’t made it, but he didn’t bother memorizing any of them beforehand, so he had no idea. He was going to look around a bit more before the white-haired twin began her talk. She spoke about payment for uniforms and measurement, all things Kaigaku didn’t really care about. He just wanted to grab his special alloy and get his stupid crow and finally go home. Master had already told him most of what he needed to know anyway. So he tuned them out, trying once more to figure out who the unlucky one that had perished was.

“From now on, a Kasugaigarasu will be following you.” she said before clapping. A huge murder of crows flew down, landing on their respective slayers. What landed on Kaigaku, though, was not a crow, no. Instead, it was a small blue jay, standing straight and proud on his shoulder. Of course, of course he wasn’t good enough for a crow, of course he had to get a small fucking bird, of course he had to be different from everyone else. He growled at it lowly trying to scare it off only for it to glare back at him letting out a sharp cry of its own.

“These will be used for communication, for sending letters to other slayers, reports to the Master and for receiving new missions.” she continued, face blank. “Now, if you look over here, we have the alloy for your new personal Nichirin Blade, these blades will protect you and others, as it's the only weapon able to kill a demon.” she pointed to the side where a table was laid, a heap of black alloy placed on top of it. Everyone made their way over to it, trying to figure out which alloy would be best for them. Kaigaku didn’t care, he roughly pushed his way through and grabbed the first one he saw, handing it over to the girls so they could hand it to whoever smiths them. With that, he was fucking done. He got what he needed and was done with this shit. Without a word to his fellow slayers, he left the way he came, only a small thought lingering in the back of his mind.

Where the fuck was Pinkie?

~~~~~~~~~~

He felt like he was actually dying. His ankle had to be close to broken at this point, as he had not taken any time to properly dress the wound. His breathing was labored and he felt lightheaded. He was sure Master would yell at him for not taking care of himself, but he’d deal with that when it came. His eyelids felt heavy and he had to actively fight them to stay open. How much longer until he was back home? He was about to give in, to fall onto the dirt for a quick nap when he saw the outskirts of town on the horizon.

“Thank fuck…” he thought, feeling more awake and quickening his pace just a bit. He ignored the townsfolk who greeting him and asking him if he was okay, eyes focused on the hut on the edge of town and its huge orchard of peach trees. Where his family was, waiting for his return. His ankle screamed at him to slow down, to stop and rest, but he wouldn’t listen, not when the one thing he was thinking about this entire time was right within his sight.

Zenitsu was carrying a basket full of laundry, but abruptly stopped and turned, looking right at Kaigaku. The alpha took a stance, feet grounded and arms open, preparing for the now-sprinting blond making his way over, the basket he was holding now laid forgotten on the ground. The impact made them skid a couple feet back, but Kaigaku kept standing upright, against all odds.

“NII-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU’RE ALIVE!!! YOU MADE IT BACK, I’M SO HAPPY!!!” The omega screamed once he was in Kaigaku arms, his face a horrid mess of snot and tears. Wrapping his arms around Kaigaku’s neck and his legs around his waist, he held on tight, crying harder. The alpha hugged him back, burying his nose into Zenitsu’s neck and taking a whiff, candied peaches invading his senses. The charm he was given lost most of their scents the third day during the final selection, so sniffing it right from the source overpowered his senses a bit. He pushed his head forward until they were neck to neck, scenting the omega and being scented back. It’s not something he usually does, but he'd allowed himself this sign of affection.

The brothers were too wrapped up in each other to notice their Master making his way towards them until he patted Kaigaku on the back. Changing his attention to his Master, he was greeted with a big and proud grin.

“Welcome back, my boy! I knew you could do it!” his grin got even wider at Kaigaku’s blush. “You look like shit though, let’s get ya inside.” He jerked his head towards the house, leaving before either boy could reply. Making sure Zenitsu was sacured he followed doing his best not towince each time he put pressure on his bad foot.

Once inside he removed his sandals, and pulled off Zenitsu’s, knowing the omega wasn’t going to let go anytime soon. That was, until Master yelled at him.

“Zenitsu! Let go of the damn boy, he’s injured and exhausted! Why don’t you make him something to eat? I’m sure he ain’t had an actual meal in a long time.” He gently chopped the back of the blond’s head. Zenitsu reluctantly let go and got down, wiping his face with his sleeve and sniffling disgustingly. Once his face was close to clean, he looked at Kaigaku determinedly.

“I’ll make you the best meal of your life, just watch!!” he fixed his long sleeves so they weren’t in his way as he made his way over to the cooking supplies. Kaigaku snorted at his behavior but didn’t comment on it, more than happy to let the omega spoil him. its honestly the least he desrevd for all the bullshit he delt with.

“Why don’t you wash up and change while Zenitsu is cooking?” Jigoro suggested- well more like demanded. Kaigaku nodded and excused himself to the washroom. He took a long time in there, scrubbing away weeks’ worth of sweat and grime and whatever else he was covered in, taking care around his wounds, as they were still tender. He forwent a soak for the time being, afraid he’d fall asleep, and made his way to his shared room to get dressed in his sleepwear.

Returning the the big living space he was greeted with the mouthwatering smell of deliciously prepared food, his stomach letting out a loud growl.

“Come sit, boy.” Jigoro patted the spot next to him. Kaigaku took the seat and reached for the food in front of him, but his wrist was swiftly slapped. “Not yet, let me treat your wounds first.” His Master scolded, patting his lap. “Bring me that ankle, I saw ya limping the entire time you were walking.” The raven-haired teen rolled his eyes as he lay his swollen ankle on his Master’s lap, wincing slightly. He heard Zenitsu gasp dramatically.

“Why didn’t you say anything?! I wouldn’t have made you carry me if I knew! Stupid alpha!!” Zenitsu scolded, hitting his shoulder.

“Oh please, like you would listen to me anyway! You were too busy crying like a baby to pay attention to my injuries.” He spat back with no real heat, knocking the fist hitting him away. Zenitsu just huffed angrily, pouting at his older brother.

“I so would listen! It’s my specialty ya know!” he retorted, crossing his arms and turning away from the others. His little tantrum wouldn’t last, however, as he quickly turned back to take a peek at what Jigoro was doing, cringing slightly when he caught a glimpse at the very swollen ankle. “Is it broken?” he asked timidly, worry shading his features.

“Nah, it’s just sprained badly and overused, why didn’t you wrap it yourself, you idiot? You’re lucky it didn’t break, do I have to whack some common sense into ya?” he wrapped it a little too tightly, but Kaigaku chose not to say anything about it.

“I was a little busy you know, with all those demons running amuck there wasn’t much time for me to wrap it.” he answered, knowing if he didn’t he would get smacked. He heard his Master let out a small “tsk” before feeling his fist collide with the top of his head.

“Moron! You could have done it during the day, or before your trip back! If you’re gonna make excuses at least make them believable!” He yelled, hitting the young alpha once again, for good measure. He finished the last of the wrap, tying it tightly. “Any more serious injuries you’re trying to hide?” he asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Kaigaku shook his head.

“No, my ankle got the worst of it.” He replied. Seemingly satisfied, Jigoro let him take his leg back. “Can I eat now, or do you have more you wanna yell about?” he asked, annoyed. He was starving to death over here; the last thing he ate were some measly tree nuts.

“No, we can talk more tomorrow, I can hear how exhausted you are.” He pointed to the still steaming food. “Eat to your heart’s content, boy, you deserve it!” Jigoro grinned at him, with that over with, he dug in. It was probably the best meal he ever had in his life, and he wasted no time shoving as much as he could into his mouth. Without even looking, he knew Zenitsu had a huge smile plastered on his face, glad that Kaigaku was enjoying the food he made.

As he ate, Kaigaku relaxed, letting his guard down, and just lettting himself exist. Zenitsu’s rambled on about what he did while Kaigaku was gone or about any new gossip in town he overheard. As he listened, he thought back to the time when, whenever Zenitsu even dared to open his mouth, he would yell at the omega to shut up or glare at him till he did. He thought about how he would close himself off to these little moments of peace. About how cold and guarded he had been around these two, they had been nothing more than a teacher and a nuisance to him, people he would deal with until he could leave and then never think of again. And yet, they’d somehow wormed themselves into his heart, making a home in there to stay for as long as Kaigaku was alive. For once, he felt actual happiness. He allowed himself a small smile as he continued to eat, half-listening to the actual words coming out of Zenitsu’s mouth, mostly just enjoying the sound of his slightly raspy voice.

Chapter Text

By the time Kaigaku finally awoke, the sun had long since risen. Her warmth blanketed the room, almost lulling him back to sleep but her rays where shining right into his eyes ruining it. He sat up and immediately clutched his head in pain; it felt like his head was stuffed full of cotton and his eyelids were heavy. Groaning, he pushed the heel of his hands into his eyes, rubbing until fireworks exploded behind the lids. He got up slowly, stretching once he was at full height and letting out a soft noise of satisfaction as his joints popped and cracked. Staring down at his futon, he took a brief moment to think if folding it would really be worth it. Not wanting to be scolded about his terrible manners again, he ended up messily folding it and shoved it right next to Zenitsu’s neatly folded one. Scratching his stomach, he made his way to the washroom to freshen up and hopefully wake himself up a bit more.

As he made his way to the living area, the smell of miso soup and the soft sizzling of something being fried filled the room. Yawning loudly and getting one more good stretch in, he sat at his personal little table and mumbled out something he hoped sounded like “morning”.

“About time you got up! I was about to go kick you out of bed myself! Think you can sleep in just cause you passed the final selection, huh?” Though his voice was stern but the smile on his face told Kaigaku that his Master wasn’t completely serious. The young alpha just waved a hand at him dismissively, still not awake enough to talk.

“Good afternoon, Nii-chan!” Zenitsu started sweetly. “Do you know how long you slept for?! Way too long, no way is that healthy!! I was starting to get really worried, you know?!! I started thinking you’d never wake up, do you know how terrifying that is?“ as he continued, his sweetness spiraled into panic and nagging. Kaigaku tuned him out as he grabbed the bowl of rice handed to him, holding it in place so Zenitsu could lay the fried egg on top, its edges slightly burnt but yolk perfectly runny. The omega never stopped in his rant as he filled his own bowls (considerably less than the others) and made Kaigaku his cup of tea, not even to breathe.

Once everyone had their lunch- well, breakfast technically for him, they clapped their hands together in a short prayer. The meal was spent in relative silence, though Zenitsu never knew when to shut his mouth, going on about this and that, not minding if the others didn’t reply.

“Oh! I have pork! I was thinking of making some katsudon for dinner tonight and maybe even a nice dessert like a peach cobbler or something! Ya know, as a celebration for Nii-chan’s return!” Zenitsu suggested, his focus fully on their Master, eyes wide and pleading. “We didn’t get to do anything last night since Nii-chan passed out right away! He deserves a little something, right??” He nodded his head at his own question. Jigoro raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Ya sure it’s actually for Kaigaku and not just you trying to get out of training early?” he asked. Kaigaku snickered at Zenitsu’s offended expression.

“Jii-chan, I would never.” The omega sputtered, hands going everywhere, trying to dispel their Master’s claims. “Come oooooooon, Jii-chan!! I’m right, aren’t I?! Surviving the final selection is like a great thing, is it not?!” he pouted. The elder alpha sighed at the slight shine of tears in Zenitsu’s eyes.

“Fine, fine, do what ya want.” the youngest let out a loud cheer. “Tonight’s your last night cooking for a while anyway, so might as well let ya go all out.” Jigoro finished sipping his tea like he didn’t just ruin Zenitsu’s world.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!” The omega screamed, slamming his hands on his table and almost knocking his tea over. Jigoro rolled his eyes.

“Starting tomorrow you’re gonna be taking over Kaigaku’s chores and he’ll be taking yours. No way is he able to take care of the orchard with that ankle of his.” Zenitsu let out a displeased cry, going on about how this was “totally unfair” and being ultimately ignored.

Zenitsu’s chores consisted of what most housewives did- laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, and mending clothes. The only ones he was banned from were washing the dishes and shopping. The omega was a shit haggler and if the merchant was pretty or scary enough he would even pay more than what the product was worth or buy something completely useless.

The dishes were a touchy subject on the other hand- Kaigaku didn’t know much about Zenitsu's past; the omega went quiet and distant at the mention of it, but he could paint a pretty picture with the behaviors he’d seen.

It was the first week Zenitsu officially moved in, he was already pretty clumsy, but the soapy water made it even harder to keep a good hold on the dishware and a bowl slipped from his hands, shattering on the floor. Kaigaku and Master made their way over to the noise only to see Zenitsu on the floor in the midst of a full blown panic attack, hyperventilating badly with fat tears rolling down his chubby face as he spewed out as many apologies he could. His hands a bloody mess as he hastily grabbed at the sharp pieces of ceramic, cutting his hands deeply. The sharp, sour scent of rotten fruit and copper flooded the room, choking both alphas. It was a lot for Kaigaku, but it was a sight he was slightly familiar with. Street rats like them got treated like trash more often than not, he couldn’t even imagine how hard it had to have been for a male omega like Zenitsu.

Jigoro made his way to the sobbing kid; he grabbed his small hands, making him drop the sharp shards. Zenitsu flinched violently, eyes tightly shut, waiting. However, Jigoro's face softened even more, using his empty hand to pat Zenitsu’s hair. He helped the omega up and made brief eye contact with Kaigaku as he made his way out of the room, the alpha nodded his head, understanding fully. From that day forward Zenitsu wasn’t allowed to do the dishes, if he begged enough he might be allowed to dry them, but nothing more.

Besides those two, Kaigaku’s chores were more labor intensive- taking care of the never-ending peach orchard and whatever maintenance that needed to be done around the house. Jigoro’s sudden, booming voice pulled him back from his musings.

“This was gonna happen anyway, boy! Who do you think is doing all that work once Kaigaku leaves for his first mission, huh?” Jigoro spat back, clearly getting fed up with Zenitsu’s antics. It seemed the mention of Kaigaku eventually leaving again stopped Zenitsu in his tracks, making him look at Kaigaku with a saddened stare. “Might as well learn the ropes while he’s still here, plus it’ll be a good workout.” Zenitsu's face scrunched up like he ate something sour before deflating into defeat, mumbling out a quiet affirmative.

“Now that’s over with, Kaigaku, my boy! Tell me all about your final selection, how many of them demon bastards did you kill?” Kaigaku gulped the rest of his tea down and started to recall the events. He was nonchalant for most of it, but by the time he got to the part where that stupid fucking pink haired bitch showed up his words got more and more heated.

“Like, who exactly does he think he is, huh?! Showing up outta fucking nowhere, stealing a kill that was rightfully mine and then fucking off like it was nothing, didn’t even spew some stupid heroic bullshit! Acting so cool like this was nothing for him, just his day to day life. I swear if I ever see a glimpse of his ugly pink mullet I’m gonna kill him with my bare hands.” Maybe he was a little too mad, but his spite was far bigger than any rational thought. The eye roll Zenitsu sent his way was not making it any better.

“He had a fox mask, you say?” Jigoro asked, holding his chin in thought. Kaigaku nodded, a little confused about why that mattered. “What breathing form did he use?”

“Wha- uh water i think, i don't know why that matters.” as Kaigaku muttered his answer, Jigoro let out a boisterous laughed.

“You must have run into a student of a comrade of mine! That old bastard never tells me anything! I had no idea he sent a student this year, I’m gonna have to send a letter to yell at that old fool.” He shook his head, but the wide grin on his face was still present.

“I don’t care if he’s a student of your friend, I’m still gonna strangle him.” Kaigaku growled. Their meeting was brief, but he burned the other alpha’s looks into his memory, ready to spend the rest of his life hunting that fucker down. Jigoro just laughed again while Zenitsu muttered something about stupid, prideful alphas.

“Oi, where’s your crow? Haven’t seen the bird once.” At his Master’s words, Kaigaku froze. He'd completely forgotten about his bird, once they were off the mountain the little thing fucked off to who knows where; Kaigaku was more than happy to let it go. He broke into a cold sweat, turning away from his Master’s prying eyes.

“Didn’t get one...” he grumbled, hoping they would drop it.

“What do ya mean you ‘didn’t get one?’ Everyone gets a crow, they’re essential, stop being difficult and call the damn thing over.” The young alpha acted like he couldn’t hear all of a sudden, looking anywhere but at his Master or Zenitsu. He could feel Jigoro’s glare burning a hole into his yukata. Zenitsu panicked, eyes ping-ponging between the two alphas, trying to think of the best way to pacify the situation. “Don’t ignore me, kid, I’ll make you run 100 laps, even with a bad ankle! Call the bird.” his Master threatened. Its not like he needed to meet the bird but with the way the older teen was acting was suspicious as hell and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Kaigaku cringed at the thought, his Master’s threats were never empty. The alpha groaned loudly, hesitating for a few more seconds before giving in and whistling at the opened front door. He hoped the blue jay was too stupid to know when its Master was calling for it. However, like always, his prayers never worked as the bird flew in, landing on the alpha’s shoulder like it owned it.

White-hot shame spread throughout his body like a second skin, he stared down at his lap, fists clutching his yukata; wrinkling the fabric. He dared not look up or acknowledge the deafening silence that filled the house, he couldn’t bear to see the look of disappointment on his Master’s face.

“Aww! It’s so cute!!” Zenitsu squealed, breaking the tense silence. He held out his hand and clicked his tongue to coax the bird to him. It worked like a charm, as the bird flew to him, chipping back sweetly at Zenitsu’s soft coos. “Jii-chan, look! I’ve never seen a tamed blue jay before! Amazing!” Jigoro stared at the bird for a little longer, shocked that it was able to pass the Kasugaigarasu test. He shook his head, chuckling lightly at the situation.

“Well, I guess you weren’t lying, huh? That’s definitely not a crow!” His words fell onto deaf ears, however, as Kaigaku was too busy spiraling into his own insecurities, his thoughts full of terrible remarks about his own self-worth. He was a failure, no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t do anything right. Couldn’t learn the first and most basic form of Thunder Breathing, another alpha saw him as weak and felt the need to “save” him from a demon, and he couldn’t even get an actual Kasugaigarasu, one after another he failed his Master and more importantly he failed himself.

“Why? Why can’t I do anything right?” Kaigaku thought, his hands clenching so hard they were shaking. He’s positive his scent, ozone and meadowsweet, went dangerous amidst his panic, turning into a full blown hurricane.

A soft hand broke him out of his despair. He snapped his head up and stared right into Zenitsu’s doe eyes. The omega smiled at him, the cursed bird now nestled into his hair.

“Did you know that crows are considered bad omens? Whenever they show up, death is sure to follow. Kinda messed up that they’re the main use of communication for demon slayers, huh? Also, a group of them is called a murder! That’s scary!! Who thought that was a good idea?!” he said, hand tightening on Kaigaku’s shoulder, comforting him. “Honestly, I think it's way better you got a different bird. I’m not entirely sure what blue jays represent but I’m sure it’s something better than death!” he smiled at his older brother, smelling soft and sweet. Kaigaku stared at him, his breathing calming down and his hands unfurling. He hesitantly looked towards his Master, surprised to see amusement on his face and not something akin to shame or disappointment.

“They’re also a real aggressive bitch, just like you, so this has to be fate.” Jigoro added, laughing at his own joke. Zenitsu turned away, covering his mouth as he tried to hold back his giggles. Relief flooded into Kaigaku, they didn't think of him as a failure, as a weak alpha not worthy their time. He appreciated them turning the situation around, but sent them both a deadly glare for calling him a bitch.

“You both are so weird, where do you even learn this shit, anyway?” he quipped back, feeling much better, the atmosphere going back to something light and joyful.

~~~~~~~~~~

At the end of the day, as Kaigaku and Zenitsu were getting ready for bed, he let his thoughts run over the day's events. It all went better than expected, but he guessed that was par for the course when he lived with two weirdos like them. Though Zenitsu was a pessimist most of the time, when other needed comfort he seemed to turn around and suddenly see the good in everything.

He took notice that Zenitsu ate more than usual, probably too caught up in the fun of having a party; his worries pushed aside for once. Kaigaku made a mental note to push their futons together and initiate a cuddling session, trap the omega into a death grip to ensure he didn’t escape to the outhouse in the middle of the night to expel all the food he ate that day. As once he left for his missions he wouldn’t be able to stop the omega anymore, and the kid needed all the added weight he could get. He was sure Zenitsu wouldn’t mind too much; he missed the alpha and was denied any cuddling the day before, as Kaigaku went straight to bed after he ate.

They laid together, Kaigaku tightly wrapping his arms around the omega’s waist as a threat and in comfort. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell that Zenitsu was staring at him, the blond fidgeting around, clearly with something on his mind.

“Spit it out or go the fuck to sleep.” he said, voice irritated- even though he slept way more than he ever should in one sitting, he felt exhausted. Zenitsu went stiff in fear, shocked that he was called out. He debated on whether saying what was on his mind was worth it or not. Relaxing again when he decided it was, he looked down at his fingers, wringing them together.

“How was it?” he asked, not looking Kaigaku in the face. “The final selection, I mean…”

“Were you not paying attention earlier? I already went through all this and I'm not doing it again.” he huffed out, looking down at the blond and watching his cheeks puff out in a pout.

“That’s not what I mean, stupid.” he replied. “I mean, like, are you ok?'' Now Kaigaku was confused and he guessed the face he made showed it because Zenitsu sighed, pulling back a bit to look at Kaigaku properly. “I-I know they eat humans and like, don’t get me wrong I’m terrified of them, but… at one point every demon was once human, right? I don’t know why they became a demon but they had to be desperate, right? Isn’t it like... traumatizing to kill them? I don’t think I actually could when the time comes… I don’t know.” He ended his rambling looking at his fingers, unsure. Kaigaku took a second to digest his words, he wasn’t wrong, demons weren’t born from nothing, they need to be a living human first, strong enough to handle the transformation.

“No, all I feel for them is anger and disgust. Sure, they might have gone through something bad, but is it really worth it to become something that needs to eat people to get stronger? Is becoming a murderous monster really worth the power that comes with becoming a demon? I’d say it’s not.” Demons were nothing but terrible creatures of the night, they were once human, yes, but when you accept becoming one your humanity is thrown away, never to be seen again. “You shouldn’t feel pity for them.” He ended, voice stern and bitter. He meant every word.

If he was being honest, a lot of humans in the world were just as bad and maybe even worse. He wasn't exactly a saint, having his own deal of issues, doing horrible things in the name of living for another day. Its the reason he accepted becoming a slayer in the first place. Using Jigoro's kindness and willingness to train him as a way of getting strong enough to fight back against anyone who opposed him. Of course as he grew his thoughts change slightly but that fear instilled into him as a street-rat will never fully leave. Zenitsu made a face, clearly not happy with his answer and wondering if he should retort or not.

“Ok Kaigaku, sorry for bothering you, goodnight.” He cuddled up close and finally closed his eyes, ready for bed. He was upset, if the use of Kaigaku’s actual name was any indication, but he’d get over it, this wasn’t something worth fighting over. The alpha followed suit and he dreamt of the past, of something he’d really rather not think about even when sleeping, repressed memories of his biggest mistakes and regrets.

~~~~~~~~~~

A week had passed since Kaigaku’s return; life went back to normal and his ankle had mostly healed. His days were spent doing tedious tasks and watching in amusement as Zenitsu did literally everything in his power to get out of training, pissing their Master off.

He was going out to gather up the dry laundry when his foot stepped on something soft. Looking down, he saw a tightly-wrapped package under his foot. Setting down the basket, he picked it up, bringing it back inside to cut the twine tied around it.

“Oooh? What’s that?” Zenitsu asked. He was a horrid, sweaty mess and pouring himself a glass of water. Kaigaku shrugged, using a small knife to open it. Inside was the standard demon slayer uniform, the material tough yet soft to the touch. the blond gasped excitedly. “Jii-chan! Jii-chan!! He got his uniform!!” he called out to the back like a mother excited for their child's first words. “Try it on! Try it on!!!” he demanded, shaking his fist, eyes sparkling.

“No.” Kaigaku deadpanned, what was the point of going through all that effort just to take it back off again? He also didn’t want to deal with the embarrassment of them cooing at him like a child. Zenitsu started to whine and bitch, but Kaigaku tuned him out, rewrapping the clothes and moving to put them away until needed.

Since his uniform finally showed up his sword had to be close, probably a day or two away at max.

Now, Kaigaku wasn’t sure how long it actually took to make a sword, but it had been at least a week since he had received his uniform and he was starting to get restless. Sure, his chores kept him busy and he was back to training as his ankle was fully healed, but he wanted that rush he got during the final selection back. As annoying as it was to fight demons all night for seven night straight, the thrill of fighting and eventually killing them was something he missed.

These special smiths were supposed to be the best, right? It surely couldn’t take them that long to make a stupid long knife.

He was angrily washing the dishes while Zenitsu and Master sat in the living room, chatting as they waited for him to finish. It was late, but the storm raging on outside made everything darker and more ominous.

A soft knocking on the door silenced all conversation and made Kaigaku pause in his washing.

“Eh?? Who’s coming over so late? And in a storm like this?! Are they crazy?!” Zenitsu screeched, hiding behind Jigoro. They stared at the door, waiting to see if the knocking would happen again. Minutes passed with nothing. The omega stopped quaking in fear, a sigh of relief passing by his lips. “Hehe, guess it was just the wind-” the knocking returned, now a little harder, making Zenitsu jumped high into the air, a high pitched “Eep!” escaping him.

“Zenitsu, go get it.” Jigoro demanded, ignoring the scream the blond let out.

“Are you INSANE? You are, aren't you? I should have known! Why would you send me, a MALE OMEGA, to answer the door this late at night??? That could be a serial killer or a kidnapper for all we know and you're sending ME to go answer it?!?! What is wrong with you? I cannot believe this!” he complained, yet still got up to answer it, tears ready to spill down his freckled cheeks. “Two big, strong alphas in this house and they think it's fine to send me, the weak baby omega to get the door and let in who knows what. I'm gonna be the first to die and they don't even care…” he continued his little ramble, opening the door.

The high-pitched terrified scream that rang throughout the house made Kaigaku drop whatever he was holding and sprint to the front of the house. Jigoro was already at the now curled up and shivering omega, who was whimpering, his scent turned burnt, making both alphas on edge and ready to attack.

At the door was a huge man, at least six feet tall and beefier than a cow, covered in the darkness of night. A strike of lightning illuminated him for a minute, allowing the older teen to make out his features clearer. On his face was a hyottoko mask, red in color, with puffed-out cheeks and extended, pursed lips. The eyes of the mask were stern, with painted-on thick, circular, furrowed eyebrows. Though the mask was comical in a different setting but in the darkness it was horrifying to look at, the occasional strike of lightning adding to the terror. A white cloth with a pink flower pattern on it was wrapped around his head, and he was wearing a pale blue kimono tied with a dark blue stash and a haori of the same color.

The man started the fret over the distressed omega, hands waving all over the place, soft apologies filling the air. Kaigaku made it the rest of the way over, crouching down in front of Zenitsu, blocking him from the stranger; sending him a deadly glare. However, like he wasn’t aware of the situation at hand, Jigoro let out a boisterous laugh.

“Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare him!” the man said to the elder, bowing deeply. “I was supposed to be here sooner but I got a bit lost. I'm truly sorry.”

“No worries! You must be soaked, ah, where are my manners? Come in, come in!” Jigoro moved to the side. “Kaigaku, pick him up and move him out of the way!” he scolded.

Kaigaku was confused, did the Master know this man? He had never talked about him before and the old fart was always going on and on about his past and those he met. But he did what he was told, trying his best to be gentle as he uncurled the omega, allowing him to tightly wrap his arms around the alphas neck, seeking comfort.

They all moved to the living room, Kaigaku’s eyes never leaving the hulking beast of a man sitting across from him. He made sure Zenitsu was secured safely in his lap, slowly calming him down with soft touches. Jigoro poured the man some tea and gave him a fluffy towel to dry himself off with.

“Again, I'm sorry for the trouble I caused. I would have waited another day but I don't want to get scolded again for being late...” his voice was deep and smooth, with a hint of embarrassment. “My name is Nishio Daigorou, I am Kaigaku-san’s swordsmith. I worked extra hard on this one, since I heard Kaigaku-san was an apprentice for the great Roaring Hashira! I'm excited to see the color his blade will take!” For a big man, Nishio was very soft-spoken, his voice barely audible over the hard pounding of rain on the shingles.

Zenitsu perked up, the excitement of getting to watch the sword change color overruling his fear of the strange beta before them. He slipped off Kaigaku’s lap but stuck close, hiding slightly behind him.

Nishio pulled out the sword, still wrapped up in a white cloth, handing it over to Kaigaku.

“Since you're a Thunder Breath user, I'm expecting a bright gold color, or maybe silver?” The beta spoke with barely-contained excitement, practically vibrating where he sat. Everyone fell quiet as they watched Kaigaku unwrap his blade.

The sheath was midnight black, the scabbard tip a bright, shiny, deep gold. Looking down at the handle, he found it to be similar in coloring. The platinum collar, with a gold lining on the edges, was flowered in shape, small black triangles in a circular pattern on the top. The handle had a black cloth braided around it, with gold triangle ornaments peeking through in a straight line down to the gold buttcap, which had a white tail.

Carefully and slowly, he pulled the blade out from its sheath, holding it straight up. The blade was silver, but soon black crept up it, covering the whole blade. A jagged fractal of bright, glowing platinum started to appear along the full length of the blade, resembling a strike of lightning. It was truly a sight to behold.

“Oh, good, good!” Nishio let out a sigh. “I was worried it was going to be just black, I think I would have cried if that happened…” he clutched his yukata right over where his heart was, relief bleeding into his words.

“Huh? Why?” Zenitsu asked timidly, he reached out and touched the blade mesmerized by it.

“Ah, well, when a slayer gets a pure black sword, it means bad luck, the slayer usually dies soon after.” Nishio answered hesitantly, still afraid to scare the omega more.

“Eeeh?! You're joking right? That's possible?? Wah!! What if that happens to me!? I have terrible luck!!” the blond cried out, making the beta fret over him again.

Kaigaku put his blade away, satisfied with it. Placing it on the ground next to him, he bowed at the beta.

“Thank you, it’s a fine blade.” he said, raising his head back up. He ignored Zenitsu’s snicker and comments about how polite he was acting.

“Oh, haha, no need to be so formal, it was a pleasure of mine! I'm glad you like it, though. Well, now that that's done, I should get going.” he said, rising to his feet. Zenitsu and Jigoro gaped at him.

“Nonsense! You can’t go back out there in this weather!” Jigoro protested.

“Yeah! And its already so late out, its dangerous, are you stupid?!” Zenitsu added, looking stern. The beta just shook his head.

“Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine! Plus, if I don't return home in a few days, I'll get scolded again…” the last part was muttered quietly, clearly not meant for their ears. Zenitsu looked conflicted, still scared of the huge man, but his omega instincts making him worried for his health and safety. “It’ll be ok! I can take care of myself just fine! Please treat my work well, Kaigaku-san!” with those last parting words he left, ignoring the blond’s worried protests.

“I hope he makes it back ok…” the blond was staring at the door, frown prominent on his face. Kaigaku patted his head.

“You sound like a mom.” The hit he received was worth it if it meant Zenitsu would stop looking so sad, his scent lighting up a bit as he yelled at the raven-haird teen.

~~~~~~~~~~

Now that he had gotten his blade, it didn’t take long for him to receive his first mission. The blue jay pecked at his face in the middle of the night. And of course his bird couldn't speak a lick of Japanese, only squawks, so they played a fun guessing game on what the fuck it was even trying to say.

He dressed in his uniform, the first two buttons tastefully undone. His haori, a dark blue to gray gradient with white triangles splattered on it, was laid over top. He sat by the ganken, fixing the white cloth around his calves that he tucked his hakama pants into, using pins to keep the cloth wrapped tight and in place. The sun was starting to rise, her first rays making the sky purple. Fixing his sandals, he heard the familiar, soft tapping of bare feet on the wood floor, a sense of deja vu hitting. Something light, lighter than it should be, hit his back. However, the usual whining and crying didn't follow suit, instead all he heard were soft whimpers.

“Oh, no”

This was a rare Zenitsu, his loud, whiny cry was nothing more than an act he perfected, as bad attention was still attention. But this, this silent, curled up into yourself type of crying was used when he was actually upset. He'd only seen it a few times during those late-night confessions they’d have sometimes. Kaigaku was lost. He turned, hands raised, unsure on how to fix this. The scent of sour fruit invaded his nose.

“Hey…” he started, voice soft and low. “What’s wrong? Are you sad that I'm leaving?” He asked simple questions that could be answered with a nod as Zenitsu tended to shut down and not speak when like this. “Come on, it'll be fine.”

“It won't be fine!” Zenitsu yelled, finally looking up at Kaigaku’s shocked face. “I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…” his small hands came up to roughly rub at his eyes. Kaigaku pulled the omega in for a hug, feeling his hands grab at the back of his uniform. “It's just, when you left for the final selection I knew you would be back. My Nii-chan is strong and capable and I knew you would come back alive, but now.” He paused, sniffling. “Now it's different, it could be months or maybe even years before I can actually see you again, what if something does happen to you? How will I ever know? While you're out there all alone and in danger, I'm still here with Jii-chan, eating meals with him and hearing the comforting beat of his heart.” As he spoke, tears soaked into Kaigaku’s shirt. “I don't want you to go, I don't want you to get lonely…” he whispered.

“Hey, it'll be ok, you just said I'm capable, right? And,” he flushed slightly. “I'm gonna write you and Jii-chan letters whenever I can, I'll keep you updated. I can't promise I can show up in person, but I'm not going to cut you off.” he pulled back, making Zenitsu look him in the eyes. “You'll be ok,” he flicked the omega’s nose. “And ya know, if you actually start getting serious with your training, the sooner you can do the final selection and join me. We gotta get strong to honor Jii-san and be the heirs he can be proud of.” Zenitsu’s honey eyes widened at his brother's words.

“You promise?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

“Yeah, of course…” his flush deepened.

“Just stop crying, alright? I'll be ok, plus, I’ve got your good luck charm still.” he moved his head to show the end of his sword, which was tied to his back, the sunset charm tied to the tail on the buttcap. “So, even if I do get lonely I can look at it and remember who’s waiting for me, who's counting on me to make it back alive and well.” Zenitsu let out a small smile, tears mostly dried up.

“Ok, just be safe, ok, Nii-chan? Don’t do anything stupid or let your anger get the better of you!” he scolded. He hugged Kaigaku one more time, rubbing his scent into his haori.

Kaigaku patted his head then moved away-he had to get going, his bird yelling at him from outside. With his blue jay flying high in the sky leading the way, the alpha followed, unaware of the other pair of eyes watching his back.

Jigoro smiled at his student, proud of how far he came not only as a slayer, but a person. The angry young alpha he adopted became a fine young man, with the occasional hissy fit.

“He called you jii-san…” Zenitsu spoke softly, now sat on the floor, exhausted from all the crying he had done.

“I heard.” Jigoro replied, choking back a sob.

Chapter Text

“Did you hear? Did you hear? There's a dog that lives in the woods that can talk!” the sweet, young voice of a beta girl whispered between her cupped hands, telling a secret. Her hair was a light brown and cut off at the shoulders, a clip with a fake yellow flower on it was holding her bangs to one side. Her eyes, big and expressive, were the same light brown with flecks of green and yellow. She wore a lilac kimono with yellow flowers splattered in some sort of messy pattern, a yellow sash wrapped around her middle to keep it closed.

“Huh?? Are you stupid? Dogs can't talk!!” someone else replied, his voice harsh, holding the tone of an alpha. He was tall for someone his age, towering over the other children nearby. His hair was black in color, cut short and messy. Eyes the shade of the ocean, sharp and accusing as he stared at the younger girl before him. He wore a plain, reddish-brown kimono with a dark red sash.

“Hey! I’m not stupid! It's true! My grandma told me about him one night, so I went to check it out and I met him!! He lives in the woods behind the abandoned shed up north! He said he has a really cool house and wants me to go see it!” She stomped her feet as she spoke, cheeks puffed and burning a bright red.

“Ok, yeah, now I know you're making it up, nice try, dummy.” the boy retorted, crossing his arms.

“Don't be mean to Himiko-chan! Maybe she did see a talking dog, do you have proof that she didn't?” another high, girly voice scolded. Her omega instincts came out, making her stand in front of the other girl protectively, who looked like she was about to cry. This girl had long, black hair with no accessory in sight to hold any of the wild curls back. Her pale, green eyes glared at the boy from behind her thick lashes, challenging him to say something else. They matched her kimono, which had an intricate spider web pattern woven with gold thread and shone in the sun’s light.

“Eh?? A talking dog? In the woods?? That's scary…” the youngest among them shivered, holding on the oldest boy's clothes. “It's not real, right, Daisuke-nii? Right?” Although younger and shorter, he looked like an exact copy of his brother, his own clothes lighter in color and big on his frame.

“Of course not! Cause if dogs can talk, we would know, since we own one, duh!”

“Why don't I prove it then! Tonight, after our parents go to sleep, let's sneak out and meet him!” Himiko challenged, stepping aside so she could face everyone. “Unless you're too scared??” The older girl let out a “Yeah!”, backing up her friend.

Daisuke fell for it right away, being the young, hotheaded alpha he was.

“Am not! Fine, I'll go and when nothing happens I'll tell everyone you're a liar!” he turned to the older girl. “I don’t know why you back her up, Aiko! You can't actually believe in a talking dog!” she turned her head away, not bothering to answer him and sticking by her friend's side. The youngest boy gasped, grabbing on to his older brother tighter.

“No!! Don't go! What if he's evil?! You can't go!!” he started crying, clearly scared out of his mind.

“It’ll be fine, Keisuke, these two are full of nothing but hot air!” he patted the younger's head.

“We’ll meet at the shed by midnight, ok? Better not chicken out!” Himiko shouted. All the kids but one nodded, satisfied with the plan, and departed for the rest of the day.

Kaigaku was hidden behind a nearby building, listening to the entire conversation that had transpired. Once the children were really gone, he left his hiding spot and went to find somewhere he could relax until midnight approached.

He'd been a slayer for a few years now and this had to be the worst part of it without a doubt. Not the restless days spent traveling or the endless nights battling, not the many broken bones or open gashes that turned into dark scars, no, it was the whole investigation part. Not to say he couldn't do it, he was a young alpha in his prime who had been told more than once that he was fairly attractive.

He knew how to play his charm up to get people to do or say what he wanted them to. However, most people his age and a bit older didn't believe in demons, always chalking attacks up to runaways or a wild animal. The only people that believed were usually small children or people old enough to be classed as senile.

He couldn't exactly just go up to a child and ask them weird questions without seeming like a freak. And the old people usually got swept away by their now-grown children, who would scold them, telling them to ‘leave the poor boy alone’.

So, most of his time was spent trying to get some kind of hint while the demons got to kill more and grow stronger, always one step ahead. To say it was aggravating would be an understatement, it was complete and utter hell. Not to mention how much of a waste of time and energy it was to talk to them and pretend to be interested in what they were saying, which was usually useless bullshit anyway.

Overhearing these kids talk about some “talking dog” was a godsend, a blessing to his weary self. He could use the time he had until midnight to just relax and actually prepare himself for a fight. He just had to figure out what to do with the kids. Maybe scare them away? Ah, but what if the demon won’t show up unless they're there? He'd have to wait for it to show up and kill it as quickly as he could then. One thing was certain, these children's lives came first and foremost, so no rash decisions that could cause them harm were allowed.

~~~~~~~~~~

He sat in the trees just on the edge of the forest behind the abandoned shed, waiting for the children to show up and summon the demon. His plan of action was: let the kids call for the demon, drop down and cut its head off as soon as it showed up, scold the children for talking to strange creatures and for sneaking out, and then take them home. It was perfect, quick and efficient. However, like everything in his life, it didn't go his way at all. The gods actively fought against him and made everything more complicated just to spite him.

The children finally showed up when the moon was at her highest. Himiko led the group while Aiko followed close behind, Daisuke at the rear looking disinterested. The younger one was nowhere in sight, which made Kaigaku sigh in relief. Younger kids like that were hard to control in high-stress situations.

“Ok! I'm gonna call him and he'll show up and you'll see that I wasn't lying!” Himiko stood right at the edge of the trees, she cupped her mouth and began calling out. “Doggy-san!!!! I'm back!! And I brought my friends!! Come here, doggy-san!!” she stood up straight, hands on her hips as they waited.

“What's taking him so long, huh?”

“Hush! He could be far away!” Aiko shushed him. They waited for a few more minutes, each one that passed made Himiko deflate more and Daisuke’s smirk more smug.

“Heh, guess he's not real at all! Now I get to tell everyone you're a big fat liar!” he laughed at her. Aiko punched his arm in retaliation ignoring his yell as she moved to comfort her friend.

“But, but, he showed up last time… maybe he's shy-”

“Himiko-chan, sorry for being late, my child.” a deep growl came out of the darkness of the woods, interrupting her. All the children froze at the new voice, it was even a shock to Kaigaku, as he hadn't felt its presence until it made itself known. Himiko bounced back quickly, letting out a squeal as she skipped into the woods.

“Doggy-san! I was getting worried you wouldn't show up!” she giggled. “Come on guys, let’s go meet him!”

“We-we have to go in there? Why can’t he come out?!” Daisuke yelled, shaking like a leaf. Aiko giggled at him mockingly as she followed her friend. Puffing his cheeks out, he followed suit, although more hesitantly and with clear awareness of how strange the situation was.

Kaigaku pulled his sword out, getting ready to drop and kill the demon before it knew what was going on. But as soon as Himiko spotted it she pounced, hugging it around the neck.

Shit. Fuck.

She started petting him; Aiko did the same, laughing as the dog told her where to pet next. Daisuke stayed away cautious; fighting the urge to step in and get the girls away from that thing.

The demon looked like something pretending to be a dog, mostly canine, but with some small differences that would be hard to tell unless you were looking for them. It was big for one, bigger than a normal dog at least. Its fluffy fur was the same endless black as the night, but its eyes glowed a soft, bright lime green. Its head was square in shape with floppy ears and when it spoke Kaigaku could see big jagged teeth hidden inside its jowls.

He had to quickly think of a way to get them away from the demon, maybe he should scare them away now? As his thoughts were racing, he missed the conversation that took place, snapping back when the kids started to climb onto its back. Himiko was at the front, holding onto its neck, Aiko behind her hugging her waist, Daisuke at the rear again.

“Make sure to hold on,” the demon warned. “Wouldn't want you to fall off and get hurt.” The warning was to the young alpha, who blushed furiously, moving his hands about before landing them on the omega’s middle, albeit lightly.

Once they were all secure, the demon sprinted off. Kaigaku followed closely behind in the trees. He was glad the foliage was so thick, able to hide him so easily. Okay, new plan, follow them and attack once the children were off. It'd be so easy. It'd be completely fine.

He could feel his head start to pound from the oncoming migraine.

They were moving deep into the forest, far away enough so that when the children screamed they wouldn’t be heard, far away enough that if a parent noticed them missing it'd take a while to find them and once they did they would be long dead and mostly eaten. It was smart, allowing the demon to do as it pleased without the fear of others finding them. Allowing it to stay in one place for a while with little to no suspicion as long as it spaced out its feedings.

They finally stopped at an old decrepit house, rotten and just barely holding off from toppling into a messy heap on the ground. It nosed the door open, trotted in and slammed it shut with its hind leg.

It didn't take long for the sound of terrified screams to seep through the thin wood of the house. Without wasting a moment, Kaigaku dropped down and shot himself into the rotted wood of the door with his shoulder, making it explode into splinters.

Daisuke was standing tall and shaky with his arms out wide, trying to cover the two girls on the floor. Aiko had a tight hold onto Himiko with her back facing them. Their scents mingled together, the sharp burnt smell bothering Kaigaku’s nose.

He made his way to them, blocking them from the now huge dogman demon. It was standing on its hind legs, its front legs now thick arms with sharp, clawed hands. He was nothing but jacked, furry muscles and deadly sharp teeth and nails, his eyes glowing a deep blood red. It was foaming at the mouth, tongue lolling out to lick its jowls, drooling at the strong taste of fear. It was strong; the amount of bones surrounding them and the potent smell of death painted a clear picture of just how many people it had eaten. Without taking his eyes off the demon, Kaigaku spoke to the younger alpha, who was trying his best to hold on as his knees violently quaked in fear.

“I need you to take the two girls and to run as far away as you can. Once you think you're far enough, hide and do not come out until I get you, understand?” his voice was harsh and held no room for question. Instead of a response he heard a quiet shout of “Let's go!” and then three sets of feet rushing out of the house and into the foreboding woods.

“I thought I smelled someone following us, to think it was some slayer.” the demon spoke out in a deep, gravelly voice. It turned its head towards the open space where the door used to be. “It's late out, the woods will eat them whole before they can even get half way back home, and once I get rid of you, I'll find them and add them to my growing pile of chew toys.” It crouched down, getting onto all fours and leaping towards Kaigaku, its jaw opened wide, ready to snap around his whole being.

He quickly jumped up and out of the way of the snapping jaws. As he landed, he drove his heel into its head, making its teeth smash together and tear its own tongue off. He flipped away, landing on and breaking some of the bones that littered the floor. Getting into position and grabbing at the sword on his back, sharp jagged lightning surrounded him as he breathed in deeply.

Breath of Thunder Second Form: Rice Spirit

Releasing his breath in a hiss between gritted teeth, he quickly dashed forward and slashed at the demon, one strike after another, without a second in between them. But the demon brought up its thick arms, wrapping them around its neck, the shock of electricity making the muscle taught, a perfect barrier to protect its one weak spot. The five slashes he let out only cut halfway into its thick arms, nowhere near its delicate neck. Keeping its arms in place, it rushed towards Kaigaku, slamming into him and knocking him through the thin, damp walls.

He rolled against the forest floor, finally stopping as his back slammed into a tree, knocking the air out of his lungs. Barely catching his breath, he forced himself up, holding his sword tightly. Turquoise eyes widened as the demon rushed at him and slammed into him again, making him roll another few feet. His chest was burning, his ribs were probably broken, definitely bruised, which made it even more difficult to breathe- he was suffocating. He forced himself up and dodged the next attack, his head light and woozy from the lack of oxygen, making his landing messy as he stumbled and tried to stay upright.

There was no way he was going to get a good hit in with straightforward attacks, the demon was too strong and fast; it attacked relentlessly, as it didn't need to worry about stamina. The demon was preparing for another slam and in a last minute decision, Kaigaku went back to his original plan. He crouched down, using his powerful legs to hop up into the trees once again. He jumped to another tree just as the demon slammed into the one he was on before headfirst, making it shake violently and causing some loose leaves to fall onto the floor. It stumbled back. Disoriented, it shook itself, trying to unjumble its mind, momentarily distracted by its dizziness.

Kaigaku bounced around, watching as the demon continued to smash its head into the trees and giving itself a small concussion. What a fucking idiot, allowing itself to be open for an attack like that. He took back any comments he made about it being smart. He sat waiting for when it would eventually get close to him. The demon was following his scent, slamming into the trees he was previously in to try and shake the alpha out

“Ha! All you slayers are the same! Cowards! Always running away when you know a fight is too much!” it mocked as it smacked into another tree. It let out a growl when nothing but some nuts fell out. “Well, nice try, little slayer! But I'm going to find you and eat you whole!” The demon sniffed the air, finding the strand of his scent that was strongest and sprinting towards it on all fours, head down and ready to knock the whole tree down.

Kaigaku sat still with his sword held in both hands, waiting for the demon to collide with the tree, jumping off as soon as it did.

Breath of Thunder Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash

Lightning flicked off him, striking the demon’s head, making him even more disoriented; blinding him with the bright light. The shock kept his muscles tense and made it near impossible to move an inch. The perfect distraction. As he fell back down, he bent forward, forcing himself into a spin.

Breath of Thunder Third Form: Thunder Swarm

The spin gained more speed as he fell, giving him enough power and strength to inflict the final strike into the demon's thick neck. Lightning sparked around him, aiding him in the attack. He sliced clean through, his sword making a deep gash in the ground below. Its yelps and growls echoed throughout the forest, scaring away any animals still nearby. Its body stumbled around as its arms made a few feeble attempts to slash at Kaigaku before it fell to the ground, ashing up and drifting away.

Kaigaku put his blade away as he spat on the demon's remains.

With that taken care of, he made his way back in the direction of the house, now nothing but a pile of dead wood. He had to find the children quickly and bring them home before the village noticed and started an uproar. Going to what he hoped was the front of the house, he made his way around, straining his hearing and sniffing the air to find them.

It took him a while, but eventually he found them a couple miles away, hidden in some bushes. Daisuke was kneeling in front of the girls, holding onto a thick stick in both hands as a weapon. They visibly relaxed when they noticed it was Kaigaku and not the monster. Sighs of relief passed over their lips.

“It's dead, you don't have to worry about it anymore.” he spoke calmly and matter-of-factly to ease them further. Himiko crawled to him, hugging his legs and immediately broke down into tears.

“I'm sorry!! I-I didn’t knooooow, I’m so sorry!! He seemed so nice!! I'm sorry!” she sobbed harder as she apologized. Aiko was quick to comfort her, but Daisuke had other ideas.

“You better be sorry, stupid! You almost got us all killed!” he yelled at her. The omega girl looked between him and her friend, conflicted, wanting to stay and comfort the beta but also needing to yell at the alpha for being insensitive.

“Stop,” Kaigaku held up his palm to the boy before things escalated. “Creatures like that can be very manipulative, she didn't know better. Just next time, when some stranger, creature or human. talks to you and says it has a “cool house deep in the woods” don't follow it. Tell your parents.” he scolded, glaring at all three of them until they nodded back. Daisuke looked back at the beta, her face a red mess, covered in tears and snot.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell…” his face flushed slightly as he turned away. The girls were quick to forgive him.

Kaigaku untied his sword from his back and slid it into his belt. He turned around and crouched down. “Come on, crybaby, I'll carry you the rest of the way.” he could tell she was exhausted, her adrenaline running out and the crying not helping.

She wiped her eyes then climbed on, her thin arms wrapping around his neck as he hooked one of his arms under her behind. He held the other out for the other girl to grab.

“You,” he jerks his head towards Daisuke. “Grab her hand. It's dark, I don't want any of you getting lost.” the younger boy blushed madly as he nervously took the other girl's hand. Making sure everyone was secured, he slowly began the trek back to the village.

“Promise me you won't tell your parents what you saw tonight. It will just cause unnecessary trouble. I'll do all of the talking.” his voice was on the verge of threatening, making the two them shout out a promise, Himiko already asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was close to morning when they returned, the other kids starting to stumble in their sleepy state.

“Which one is Himiko’s house?” Kaigaku asked, shaking Aiko awake. She grumbled out directions, mindlessly following Kaigaku when he started walking again.

Once he reached the house, he let go of her hand and knocked on the door, loudly. It took a few minutes but a tired man answered the door.

“Who is it?” he asked. Kaigaku smiled charmingly, a lie already on the tip of his tongue.

“Good morning, sir, are you Himiko’s father?” His voice was confident and full of fake sweetness. The man nodded, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Well, I'm a traveler and I was hunting in the woods when I found her and her two friends hiding in the bushes, terrified out of their minds. They were going on about some talking dog?” He finished his explanation, tilting his head to the side to show Himiko’s sleeping face.

The man's eyes widened at the sight of his daughter, finally noticing all the children around Kaigaku. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed in exasperation.

“Is that so? Jeez, I told grandma not to tell Himiko her wild stories! I'm so sorry about this, sir, thank you so much for bringing her home.” he quickly moved to grab his daughter off, the beta bowing down and apologizing again which Kaigaku waved off.

“I'm just glad I found them before they actually got hurt.” he replied, they bid each other goodnight as Kaigaku made his way to the other two houses. Aiko’s was next, both of her parents answering the door. As Kaigaku recounted his lie he could see the anger taking form on the father’s face.

“Aiko! What is wrong with you!? How many times do we have to tell you to stay away from Himiko? Her family is full of nothing but lunatics!” he scolded his daughter roughly. “Get inside before I wake the neighbors with my yelling.”

The omega nodded her head obediently, but before she entered, she turned to Daisuke and grabbed both of his hands.

“Thank you for protecting me and Himiko! You… you looked really cool and brave out there!!” she blushed deeply and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. Daisuke stood still, his face so red it could rival a tomato.

“You're welcome!” he squeaked out, high and embarrassed, he let go of one of Aiko's hands to cough into his fist then grabbed it again. “I mean, it was no big deal, ya know.” his voice made purposefully deeper as he tried to keep his cool persona. Aiko giggled at him squeezing his hands.

If looks could kill, however, then the one Aiko's father was sending the young boy would have killed him ten times over. The mother, amused, grabbed her husband's arm to keep him back, approving of the budding romance between her daughter and the alpha boy. The two alphas waved Aiko and her parents goodnight as they left.

He knocked on the last house, ready to do the whole thing again, then leave to hopefully find somewhere to sleep . A small woman answered it surprisingly quickly. Her hair, which was such a bright red it was almost orange was a tangled mess, and it seemed like she couldn't stop playing with it. Upon seeing her son she let out a gasp, her dark brown eyes tearing up immediately, but she tried her best to hold herself together.

“Daisuke! I was wondering where you went! I went to check on you and your brother and you were gone! I sent papa out to go look for you! What do you have to say for yourself?!” she scolded, trying to look stern but the tears rolling down her soft round face made it hard.

Daisuke looked down at the ground, his own eyes tearing up.

“I'm sorry, mama.” he whispered, the grip he had on Kaigaku’s hand tightening. The small beta woman quickly pulled her son into a hug.

“Oh, baby, it’s ok! Just don't do it again, ok? I was so scared that something got you! You don't know what's out there living in the woods!!” She cried harder. It was a while before she got up and acknowledged Kaigaku. “Oh, were you the one to find my son?” she bowed extremely low. “Thank you so much! How can I repay you, sir?” He shook his head.

“No, there's no need really-”

She cut him off.

“Nonsense!” she looked him up and down, a frown playing on her pink lips. “You look like a mess, how long have you been out? How about you stay for the rest of the night? I'll even get the bath ready for you!” she smiled brightly at him.

“No, really, you don't have to trouble yourself! I'll be fine-” again he was interrupted, but by a deeper male voice.

“Daisuke!” a big alpha ran up to them, wrapping his strong arms around his wife and first born, an excited dog following close behind. Pulling away, he scolded his son. “Where have you been, young man? You made me and your mama worried sick!”

“This young man found him, dear! Brought our boy back safely.” the wife supplied, pointing towards Kaigaku. The man, who looked like another copy of Daisuke, but aged, grabbed Kaigaku’s shoulders tightly.

“Thank you so much! How can I repay you? I don't have much money but I can offer you anything else? My wife is an amazing cook! Can we make you a nice, hot meal?” He refused to let go of Kaigaku, shooting down any excuse the younger alpha had to throw out. Reluctantly, he finally agreed to stay the night.

They brought him into a spare room, the mother looking in the closet and pulling out a futon and a blanket.

“Are you sure you don't want any food? It'll be no problem at all, hun!” she asked again.

“No, a bath and somewhere to sleep is enough, you can feed me when I awake in the morning.” which wasn't far off, he'd have about two hours left to get some semblance of sleep. She seemed to want to protest more, but left it at that.

“Uh, thank you, Miss…?”

“Oh! You can just call me Fukumi, hun! And my husband is Ryunosuke! No need to thank me, it's the least I can do for you for finding my son.” her smile was blinding. He nodded at her, throat dry. They were being too nice to him, a stranger so undeserving.

After a quick but refreshing bath, he made his way back to his spare room with the man of the house close behind.

“Are you sure you don't need anything else?” he asked. All this niceness was starting to get on Kaigaku’s nerves actually; it was overbearing.

“Actually, do you have any parchment and a pen I could use?” He needed to write out his report while it was still fresh in his mind. The other alpha nodded his head, running away to get the items he had asked for. With a small thanks, Kaigaku bid him good night and got to work on his report. He tied it up and left it on the floor by the window. His bird would probably be on its way back with a letter from Zenitsu and gramps. He opened the window just enough to allow the bird entry. With his duties done, he quickly fell into a light sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

He awoke to the sun shining her light right into his eyes, making his face scrunch up in annoyance. He sat up, not noticing the bird on his chest, laughing at the squawk it let out as it rolled off and landed in between his legs. It flew up, pecking at his head and yelling at the alpha. Kaigaku swatted at it as he got up to stretch his sore limbs.

Looking towards the window, he saw not the suspected two but instead three rolled up pieces of parchment. This was rather strange, as Zenitsu and his Master usually used one piece of paper to write to him, as paper was a bit pricey and they’d rather not waste all their money on it. He walked towards them and knelt on the floor. He pushed his report to the side for the blue jay to take when it got enough rest.

One had a bright, yellow ribbon tied to it, clearly marking it as from Zenitsu. He opened it first, carefully untying the bright ribbon. It was short and sweet, full of praise and a few questions about his last mission, however his usually neat and pretty handwriting was a mess. The lines of the characters were shaky, and spots of ink danced all over the paper. He put it aside and grabbed the other letter; it was wrapped in plain twine. Opening it, it read as:

Dear Kaigaku, my boy,

I hope this letter finds you in good health, and with a hundred dead demons by your feet! I'm writing this separately to tell you that Zenitsu’s heat will be ending soon and I'll be sending him off to his own final selection. If you find yourself close enough, I think it would do the kid some good if you stopped by and wished him luck. I'll give you a week to show up, but if you don't then I'm sending him regardless. He, of course, doesn't think he's ready but from what I can tell he has truly mastered the first form and I believe in his ability to fight and survive! I hope to see you soon, son.

Regards,
Kuwajima Jigoro, a.k.a. Jii-chan.

P.S.: If you find a herb called "Cramp Bark", please buy the whole stock.

Ah, his heat. Now the messy writing made sense. Of course that idiot would still take the time to write him a letter even while deep in the throes of heat and the terrible cramps that followed. He read the name of the herb again- he never heard of it before, but with enough searching he was sure he could find some.

Getting up, he made his way to his belongings, pulling out the map he had gotten. Since his bird couldn't talk, they usually moved from mission to mission with Kaigaku following behind it. But, on the days the bird had to go and deliver letters or reports, he wasn’t able to make any progress in his travels because he had no fucking clue on where to go next. So, getting a map had been the best course of action to take. The bird could tap on his next destination allowing the alpha to move forward without any interruptions.

He quickly found the town he was in, then looked for his hometown. They weren't that far from one another, at least five days on foot with minimal rest. He looked at the window; the sun wasn’t high in the sky, but she was getting close. He had to leave now if he wanted to make it in a timely manner.

He got up and changed back into his freshly washed clothes, taking the two letters and folding them neatly then tucking them into his uniform over-shirt. He looked down at his passed-out bird and sighed. No way was the thing gonna get up any time soon. He grabbed his report, holding it in his left hand, and grabbed his bird with his right, trying to place it on top of his head for it to sleep. He had no idea how Zenitsu was able to do this with no issues, but it seemed to stay there, sleeping soundly.

“Good morning!” Fukumi sang out as Kaigaku entered the room. “You slept through breakfast, but I'm about to make lunch if you wanna wait a little!” she offered. Her eyes flicked to the bird on his head, but didn’t say anything about it. He shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I really have to get going. Thank you for everything.” He bowed slightly, yelling out as the blue jay fell off his head, he was quick to catch it before it hit the ground. Fortunately it was still asleep, so he placed it back onto his head, ignoring the giggle the his host let out.

“Oh, really? Hold on a second, please.” She got up from where she sat, her knitting supplies left behind. She came back with a bag. “I made you some treats for your travels! It must be tough being a slay-” she paused, coughing lightly “I mean, it must be hard being a runaway, but if you ever find yourself back here don't be afraid to knock on our door and ask for some shelter.” She smiled at him sweetly, shoving the bag into his hands. He nodded at her, at a loss for words. With a final wave, he left the house. Daisuke and his little brother were out there with the girls from last night. His dog ran in circles around them, making the kids laugh at its antics.

“Ah, Onii-san, are you leaving already?” Aiko asked, her head tilting to the side.

“Eh??? No way! You can't leave, Nii-chan!! You have to stay and play with us!!” Himiko whined, grabbing at his legs.

“Wait, yeah! You need to tell me what you are and how you-” Daisuke looked around, then lowered his voice. “How you killed that monster.” all three crowded around him, begging him to stay longer, Keisuke joining as well, not sure why they were doing this but not wanting to be left out.

“Sorry, I have to get home to my family.” he patted Himiko's head as she started to tear up.

“Then! Then you have to promise to come back again! You can even bring your family! We can all play! Please!!” the other three joined in, her pleas refusing to cease unless he promised.

“Fine, I promise.” He said it begrudgingly, just to get them off his back so he could leave, but the huge, shining grins they gave him made him want to keep it, to come back and have them meet Zenitsu so they could all play together. He ended up smiling back at them as he thought about it. He waved back to them as he made his way out of the village, his smile still in place.

~~~~~~~~~~

When he finally made it back home it was late, closer to the next morning than the one previous. He never liked being near people, only tolerating those closest to him, so this solitude was more than fine with him. Most people were too loud, too noisy, and too cruel. He usually preferred to be on his own, in the background and left to his one devices. He’d rather have everyone but the two he loved most disappear.

Since it was so late he wasn’t expecting anyone to be up to greet him, maybe some men getting an early start to the work day, but nothing more. What he didn’t expect, however, was the strong scent of blood and smoke, that when he finally reached the outskirts of town there would be nothing but gore and carnage. People he hadn’t given the time to really get to know but had grown accustomed to seeing in his day to day life laid about covered in so much blood, their bodies long frozen over with death's cold grip; the houses surrounding the middle of town were in flames, almost completely destroyed.

Looking up from the horrors in front of him, he spotted a huge, billowing cloud of smoke far in the distance. Right where the one place he could have ever called home was, right where the two people he could have ever really considered family lived.

As panic set in, he broke out into a dead sprint, praying to the gods above that they were alive, that for once could they please just let this small piece of happiness survive. He leaped over dead bodies, slipping in the puddles of blood; barely catching himself as he kept running. His breathing was heavy making his healing ribs burn with each deep breath he took. They couldn't be- there was no way, please, anyone but them.

He made it halfway up the hill when he saw it, a speck of yellow in the distance, a sign. As he sped up, the form of Zenitsu crying over a dead body became clearer. He ran even faster, wanting to reach the blond quickly, but suddenly he stopped in his tracks. His turquoise eyes widened as his thoughts spiraled out of his control.

Why was Zenitsu the only one left alive? Why, out of everyone here, was he the only one to make it out alive and well? Kaigaku stood there, his mind racing. Whatever did this did not want anyone surviving, wanted the whole village gone. If it was just here for a quick meal, it would have tired and gotten slayed easily by Master. He squinted his eyes, trying to get a clearer look without moving closer and noticed that the dead body actually was his Master, his white hair and dark yellow kimono easy to pick out against the dark pool of blood he laid in. The thing that did this had to be stronger than any normal demon if it was able to kill Master. Yes, he was retired and old but he was still a Hashira, the strongest of the strong, the most talented demon slayer. The fact that he made it to the age he was with minimal lasting injury proved just how great Jigoro was.

A Lower Moon had to have done this, right? No, strong as they were his Master had taken down many of them in his youth, he had heard all the tales before. Surely his missing leg and age couldn't have weakened him that much, right? He had more than enough energy to train them and get into small, meaningless fights, right? No, this had to be the work of an Upper Moon, they had more than enough power to easily take his Master and the village. But why? What did they gain from wiping out his hometown? The bodies were still there, there was no way it would just kill them and bail without eating, right? What was the goal?!

The entire situation was confusing and made Kaigaku’s head hurt. All he knew was that something was sent here to get rid of the whole village for some reason.

And yet, and yet, Zenitsu remained alive and seemingly well.

He took a few, hesitant steps forward, flinching when the omega’s head snapped up to stare right at him. It was then that he knew. He fucking knew that wasn’t his baby brother anymore. He was quite a bit away, but it was easy to see. To see how his usually soft, chocolate dipped caramel eyes, even now full of tears that cascaded down his chubby, freckled cheeks in fat drops, glowed a bright, harsh yellow, making him easy to spot in the dark. His mouth that never stopped moving, whether it was to whine about training or coo sweetly when Kaigaku spilled his feelings, was now full of sharp, deadly teeth. His pale, dainty hands that were once holding onto Master’s limp one, were stretching out towards the alpha, blackened at the fingers, which turned into sharp claws beckoning the alpha to come closer, using the same grabby motion Zenitsu always made when he wanted a hug.

No, that wasn’t his baby brother, it was a fucking demon.

Kaigaku couldn’t think, couldn't breathe as he stared at the creature wearing his brother's skin. How did this happen? When did it happen? How long were they suffering like this? While he was staying at a house full of nice people and talking with children, his family was here, suffering at the hands of something.

How could he have let this happen?

He felt sick, his throat tightened up and his eyes burned with emotion. Why wasn't he here sooner? Maybe he could have helped, could have done something, fucking anything! He could have at least died with them.

He should have killed the dog demon faster, should have refused that family more, should have woken up earlier, should have just pushed those children away to get on with his journey sooner, he shouldn't have taken as many breaks as he did. Just anything to make it back home before any of this happened, so he could have been there with them, to take on some of the pain and suffering they endured.

He had failed yet again. Ever since he was born all he did was fail those that trusted him, whether it be by his own choice or forces he couldn't stop.

The gods saw him as a play thing, something to torture and jerk around for their own entertainment. He was nothing but a dry twig in their unforgiving hands, and they bent him and kept bending him until he finally snapped.

He knew he was going to die young, was surprised he even made it this far. He grabbed the hilt of his sword. With how many things that had happened to him, his death was inevitable, between all the abuse he received as a young child and that one run-in he had with a demon before he even knew they existed, and even now as a slayer. Death was something that always followed him, lurking just around the corner, waiting for when either himself or someone else came and finally did the job.

So fine. FUCKING FINE! If the gods wanted him gone so badly, he'd gladly grant their wish. He'd had enough anyway, just so tired of trying to fight against the universe every other day, to fight for the right to live and then deal with the punishment that always followed.

They took the last two things keeping him grounded, the people who made him want to live, to want to fight and survive if it meant seeing them again in the morning.

So, fine. He’d kill this demon that dared to pretend to be his baby brother swiftly and painlessly and then end his own pathetic excuse of a life, slice his belly wide open to repent for existing and the trouble it caused for everyone, slowly bleed out among the corpses that were once his family and the burning husk that used to be their home.

As he got into position, he thought about the afterlife. Thought about how sweet, naive, kind-hearted, crybaby Zenitsu would be sent to hell for something he had no control over. Kaigaku knew for a fact he wasn't going to see the bridge to the afterlife, he'd done too much wrong to be allowed entry into heaven or allowed to reincarnate. The fact that Zenitsu would be denied that was devastating. Out of everyone on earth, the omega deserved nothing more than a happy life, to go heaven and come back to a better and safer world, to get married and have the family the omega always wanted. But it was fine. Once Kaigaku finally died from blood loss, he'd find Zenitsu in the never ending darkness of death, probably crying and scared. And he’d grab the omega, carry him into hell while the alpha apologized for being such a fucking disappointment, for not saving them, for not being there to even try. He would promise the blond that he wouldn't ever leave his side again, that for the rest of eternity he’d be there with him in hell.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled his sword out, letting a hiss out through his gritted teeth as he prepared his form.

Breath of Thunder Fifth Form: Heat Lightning

His beaten and bleeding box of happiness fell off the edge it was perched on, falling into the depths of his heart, leaving him with nothing but a cold numbness.

He pushed himself forward, the blade aimed right for the demon’s throat, and he sliced through it.

Chapter Text

Except that he didn’t.

His blade never even had the chance to get close, as a huge bolt of golden lightning struck once he stepped in the circle of dark blood surrounding them. The strength behind it caused his blade to be flung from his grip and he watched helplessly as it flew a few yards away from them. The sudden stop to his momentum made him stumble and roll the other way, landing just shy of the pool of red. He landed painfully on his side, but was quick to scramble into a half-sitting position, looking around frantically for whatever caused the lightning. His eyes landed on the demon taking Zenitsu’s form, bright, harsh yellow meeting turquoise for a split second before his eyes scrolled upwards.

A huge, fluffy cloud laid a few feet above the demon's head, its color so dark it was hard to distinguish from the night, the only thing highlighting it being the lightning rumbling beneath its surface, ready to strike the next threat. Kaigaku wasn’t sure how he had missed it before; even though it was hard to see, it wasn’t impossible. He especially should have been able to, being used to straining his eyes in the dark as that's when he did most of his work. The only excuse he had for his near-fatal mistake was his panic and overwhelming emotions. That, or he had just confused it with the smoke pouring out of the burning house.

Well, no fucking shit “Zenitsu” would get a Demon Blood Art that protected it from danger- a coward, through and through, even when not entirely “him”. He probably should have been surprised that it already got its art, as it usually took most demons a few meals to obtain their power, but he wasn’t. Zenitsu had always been special, even if he never saw it himself, so becoming a demon wouldn't be any different. However, whatever sick amusement he found in it died quickly when the demon started to make its way over to him.

This close, he was able to make out the finer details of it. Like how the orange tips of its hair had a layer of black, like someone rubbed soot into it. He could see just how torn and bloody its clothes were, just strips of cloth instead of actual clothing, some parts even singed as if it was caught in the blazing fire behind them. The amount of blood stained into the fabric was sickening; the heavy, coppery smell made the alpha’s stomach flip.

The demon was slowly crawling closer to him, mouth wide open, tears still flowing from its wide, bright eyes. It was then that Kaigaku finally understood that he was going to die. He had accepted it before when it was from his own will, but now a wild hysteria took root deep in his chest, making his eyes widen in fear. This wasn't how he wanted to die, cowering in terror as the twisted image of his baby brother crawled to him, teeth and claws ready to attack and feast.

His sword was far behind the demon and even if he did somehow get to it, the cloud above them would just send it away again and again. He didn't have the time or mental stability to study how it worked and use it to his advantage. He really was useless, a disappointment to everyone in the end. This demon in his baby brother's skin was going to kill him and gorge on his meat and there was nothing he could do about it.

Closing his eyes, he accepted his fate, that he'd be the one to wait in purgatory for when Zenitsu would finally be set free. Something soft and cold slithered around his neck and his whole body tensed up as he braced for the incoming pain.

But it never came.

Sharp, blackened, clawed hands, made to slice into his flesh and allow his delectable blood to flow freely, moved to cup the back of his head stuffing it into its shoulder. That mouth full of deadly teeth made to tear his meat clean off his bones for the demon to happily devour upon just opened to let out a soft, broken sob. The demon showed no signs of attacking, only trying to get closer to Kaigaku, seeking a comfort it desperately wanted and needed.

Kaigaku sat there with a lap full of a crying demon that chose to cuddle him instead of eating him whole, frozen in disbelief. Of course Zenitsu wouldn't kill him. Sweet, kind Zenitsu who screamed and cried when he saw a mouse in the house only to then scream and cry even harder when Kaigaku went to kill it, rambling about how it was just a little lost and needed some help to get home to its little mouse family. Zenitsu, the omega Kaigaku bullied, who he yelled at and hit on more than one occasion; at one point even threw a half-eaten peach at him just for calling Jigoro “jii-chan”, offended that the omega thought he had the right. And yet, he quickly forgave the alpha, not only allowed but encouraged him to cry and rant about his fears and insecurities. Who hugged him when he didn't deserve it and just shushed the alpha when he stated so. Zenitsu who pitied demons, who didn't think he could kill one when the chance came not just from his own weakness but because they were once human and he couldn't see past that.

Of course he would somehow overcome the overwhelming hunger that every demon had and retain at least some of his fleeting humanity.

He takes a peek at their Master’s dead body; from where he was he couldn't see any visible bite marks, especially on the hand Zenitsu was holding previously. Kaigaku couldn't stop the sudden manic laughter from escaping as Zenitsu continued to just… to just hug him.

“He didn't do it. He hadn’t committed the greatest sin to mankind…”

His laughter soon turned into small hiccups as tears welled up in his own eyes. Shakily, he lifted his arms up and wrapped them tightly around Zenitsu’s waist, his held back sobs turning into a pained wailing. Because Zenitsu was alive, he was still the same crybaby Kaigaku knew and loved. His baby brother was still somewhat human and from what he could see, hadn’t given in to the desire of eating a human. He pulled Zenitsu in closer, crying harder than he ever had in his life.

He smashed his face into Zenitsu’s neck, wanting to smell his honey-sweet scent, needing the solace it brought even if it would be rotten like every other demon's scent. However, as he sniffed, the fragrance barely reached him, the sickly-sweet candied peaches and fresh citrus were just a whisper of what they used to be. This was weird, considering how Kaigaku was pressing his nose against the omegas scent gland. The smell should be dizzily overpowering. Feeling even more broken, he moved until they were neck to neck, rubbing his scent on the blond while trying to get as much as the other’s fleeting scent he could imprint onto his skin.

They sat there for an eternity in a tight embrace, sobs mixing together into a heartbreaking melody.

It felt like days had passed when they finally settled down. Kaigaku rubbed his face into Zenitsu's shoulder, wiping the remnants of his tears away. The omega whined when he was pulled off the alpha’s lap, tried to tighten his hold and keep the raven-haired teen in place. Kaigaku ignored him, setting him down to the side and wiping the dust off his clothes once he fully stood up. His head was pounding from the amount of crying, but he felt better, more stable and resolved.

As he went to get his sword he thought of a plan, his anger boiling just beneath the surface. First was to find the cunt/cunts that did this and make them pay, to torture them until the alpha was satisfied and then some more before finally letting them die a sad, miserable death. He also had to find a way to turn Zenitsu back into a human; from his time as a slayer he had never heard of a cure, but he'd spend the rest of his life either finding it or making it himself. He also had to do all of this while attending to his duties; couldn't skip out on his job, as it might make the corps suspicious, and since he’d be harboring a demon, the last thing he needed was for them to be breathing down his neck.

But first, he had to get Zenitsu somewhere safe. The sun was going to start rising in a few hours. Sheathing his sword, he faced the omega, who hadn’t said a single word since they met. He had to make sure the blond was aware of his surroundings, that he was able to understand words and the meaning behind them, as some demons when turned became more animal-like, just moving on pure instinct alone.

“You can understand me, right?” he asked, getting a quick nod in return. “Can you speak?” Zenitsu opened his mouth to say something but only a raspy aborted sound came out, making him clamp his mouth shut. He looked up sheepishly as Kaigaku groaned in irritation, now he had to play charades with two creatures, great.

“Ok, whatever, we’ll deal with that issue later. Get up, we have to get moving.” he ordered, but the omega stayed seated, his cheeks puffed out into a pout. He pointed towards their Master's dead body insistently. Even without words, Kaigaku knew what the blond wanted.

“No, we don't have enough time, I need to get you somewhere safe.” He didn't even dare look at Jigoro knowing once he did he would cave easily. Zentisu pouted harder as he crossed his arms, refusing to move an inch. Kaigaku could already hear the tantrum the omega was about to pull. “No, Zenitsu. Now, get up.” he growled through gritted teeth.

He needed to get supplies and figure out how to safely transport Zenitsu in the daytime. Plus, he wanted to get as far away from here as he could before the demon or demons that did this possibly came back. However, the omega just huffed louder, tears pooling in his eyes as he spewed a mess of growls and weird clicking noises as his own form of argument. They stared at each other, trying to get the other to back down through sheer willpower.

When Zenitsu felt he was losing the impromptu staring contest, he pulled in a deep breath, the air making his cheeks puff out like a chipmunk, and held it in.

“Oh, come on! How old are you? 5?!” Kaigaku growled out, watching the omega lay on the ground and jerked his arms and legs around throwing a full-blown tantrum while still holding his breath.

Groaning, Kaigaku pinched the bridge of his nose, the headache he had morphing into a migraine he didn't have the patience to deal with right now.

“Fine! Fine!” the alpha yelled, making Zenitsu sit up as his bright eyes shone even brighter and a wide smile bloomed on his face. “But you're digging the hole! I'll bring the body…” he slumped down, opening his mouth to complain but immediately shut it at the glare that was sent his way. With a few grumbling growls he got up and made his way to the somehow still intact peach orchard. Kaigkau watched closely as he moved deeper into the trees, only breaking contact once he was out of sight; the alpha had work to do.

Standing above the dead body of his Master and father-figure, he rolled up his sleeves as he built up the will to look at the body. Zenitsu might seem like he was “normal”, that he hadn't had a taste of human blood but you couldn't be sure. For all Kaigaku knew the demon was trying to fool him into thinking he was normal. That he wanted to be in cahoots with the alpha only to attack when he had his guard down.

Squatting down and grabbing one of his Master’s arms, he quickly turned him over only to immediately let go and turn away. His stomach churned violently as his hand shot up to cover his mouth, barely stopping the bile from coming out and forcing himself to swallow it down. He heaved breath after breath through his nose as reality set in even harder.

“It's just a body, you've seen plenty of these in your line of work. Stop being such a bitch! It's just a body.” He repeated the mantra, forcing his mind and body to relax. But that wasn't true, it wasn’t just a body, it was the body of his Master, of Jigoro. Clenching his eyes tight, he slowly got his breathing back into control, his stomach calming down just a bit. He had to do this, had to make sure Zentisu didn't take part of his flesh, the omega’s mouth was clean, but his hands and body had blood splattered on them, either from eating or just because of the sheer amount there was around them.

Taking a deep breath, he hardened himself and turned back to the graphic sight.

Jigoro laid there, skin pale and cold, the only color to his skin being the deep, dark red that stained his entire front. His middle was slashed wide open, the insides spilling out of the open chasm that used to be his stomach. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Kaigaku continued his search, ignoring how clearly he could see inside of Jigoro, the layers of skin, muscle, and fat well defined. But it pulled him like a magnet, the dark gouge, beckoning him to look deeper and traumatize himself further. Forcing himself away from the sight, he checked the hand Zenitsu was holding, finding no blemishes in sight. It appeared the gash to his stomach was the only injury he received. The demon must have attacked him first, not giving him the chance to even try and counter. Slicing his stomach open deeply, and leaving him to lie there bleeding out slowly as he watched as it turned Zenitsu into the creature he was now, not able to do anything about it.

Letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding, he looked at the sword that belonged to his Master, clenched tightly in the old wrinkled fingers of his other hand. The golden color of the blade seemed dull now, like the life it held left along with its wielder. Trying to do it as gently and carefully as he could, he pulled the weapon out of the old man's grip, rigor mortis making the task all the more difficult. Once freed, he slid it into his belt as he wondered how he was going to move the body to where Zentisu had made the grave. The house behind him was too engulfed by fire to enter, so grabbing something from there was out of the question.

He ended up taking Jigoro’s kimono off, the blood soaked into it staining his hands red, and using it to grab and place his intestines back in. He was forced to take a break once they were to swallow down more vomit and calm his racing heart. This was too much for him! Stupid Zenitsu, being all sentimental and needing to bury their dead Master. If he wasn't suspicious about the blond's apparent retained humanity he would have forced him to do this since it was all his idea. He was going to have nightmares about this for years, his hands would remember the feeling of his guts and how fucking squishy they were, the dark, deep cavern that was once his middle forever burned into his eyes- he slapped his face with both hands, only to grimace at the blood he just smeared all over it. He had to stop thinking, he didn't have time to think about this. Sighing, he turned back to the body, carefully wrapping the cloth around the corpse, making sure it was tied securely. Picking up the body, he was surprised by how light it felt, remembering how much he struggled to carry the old man before, during training.

The memory made his eyes burn with unshed tears as more and more memories of the times he spent with Jigoro started to resurface. Small little moments the alpha took for granted or didn't even choose to be a part of. How many times had he refused any real bonding with the old man? And now he was gone forever, Kaigaku would never hear Jigoro’s loud, annoying voice again yelling at him to work harder or laugh at him when he embarrassed himself. He wouldn't ever feel the heavy weight of Jigoro’s cane on the top of his head or the soft head pats he would give when Kaigaku mastered a new technique.

Kaigaku could feel himself crumbling, falling apart at the seams, and quickly shook his head; rapidly blinking his eyes to stop the tears from falling. He couldn’t break now, he had too much to plan and do. The rest of the walk was spent with Kaigaku berating himself for caving to his emotions so easily.

He spotted the omega by a newly dug hole beneath the biggest and oldest tree in the whole orchard, rocks placed to the side to cover the grave once the body was buried. He carefully laid their Master into the ground, pleasantly surprised not only with how quickly Zenitsu dug it, but that he was actually there and didn’t fuck off when he had the chance. Another sign that he was still Zenitsu. He helped him push the loose dirt back in and placed the rocks over it, and lastly he stabbed Jigoro’s blade at the top as a gravemarker. Together, he and Zenitsu clapped their hands in a small prayer, the omega’s soft sobbing mixing with the beginning of birdsong the only sound between them.

Opening his eyes, he saw that the sky was turning a light indigo, another sign that morning was making its appearance. Grabbing Zenitsu’s clawed hand, he quickly made his way to town, ignoring the slight sounds of distress behind him.

He skillfully stepped over the bodies while simultaneously trying his best not to slip in the blood that marred the ground and kept the blond from doing the same. Zenitsu’s hand tightened its grip on the alpha’s, who gave it a quick squeeze of his own hoping to comfort the omega. He failed to notice, however, how the demon’s eyes were wild, his head looking around frantically at the fresh meat around them; his mouth slightly agape with a single line of drool running down his chin as he licked his lips.

Kaigaku found a house that wasn’t on fire, most of it intact beside the front door that was blasted open and laid sadly on the floor in pieces. He tugged Zenitsu inside, letting go of his hand and taking a good look around the spacious living area, finding neither a place to hide Zenitsu nor any of the inhabitants. With a threat to the omega to stay exactly where he was, Kaigaku left to check the rest of the house.

Finding a bedroom at the end of a hallway, he looked through the opened door to find a mostly empty room. He spotted a big, two-door armoire by the back, its wood dark in color and ominous. He opened the doors to find that it was pretty roomy, the only thing taking its space up being the clothes that hung from the wooden rod inside. He began looking through them to try and find something to clothe Zenitsu, as he wasn't going to let the omega run around in torn blood-soaked strips of cloth, but it was all too small and more fit for a young child than the teenager that Zenitsu was now. He threw them all to the floor without a care, taking another look at the now empty closet. It would be tight, but Zentisu would fit, and he'd be fine until Kaigaku returned with all the supplies he needed.

Not bothering to check the rest of the house, he made his way back to the living room and froze when he saw the blond wasn't where he left him. A cold dread spread down his body.

“Zenitsu?!” he yelled as he walked to the space that used to hold the front door, frantically looking for the omega. “Hey, where the fuck did you go?!”

He was tricked, goddamn it, the fucking thing tricked him and now it was missing. The sky above turned even lighter as the sun slowly made her way above the horizon. He walked out the door, checking the area around the house. The neighboring houses where in too much a disarray for the demon to hide in, maybe it went into the wood out back? Walking to the back of the house his panic rose exponentially, how could he be so stupid in trusting a demon, he should have known better but the possibility that Zenitsu was still himself clouded his mind. However before it could take complete hold of him a speck of yellow standing on the porch in the back of the house.

"Oh thank god." he jogged up to Zenitsu, ready to tear him a new one for scaring him like that. however he paused once he caught a glimpse of what he was staring at, the cause for him to disobey.

A family of three, even in death, laid huddled together on the cold, unforgiving ground. The father, missing his head and arms, slumped over his wife and child who both had gouges so deep he could easily see the stark white of their bones all over their bodies. His gaze moved towards the omega, a choked gasp escaping at the new form he had taken.

Zenitsu was more monster than human. His pure white sclera were now an inky, endless black making the highly saturated yellow stand out even more. His pupils were a sharp, jagged line, resembling a bolt of lightning; gaze solely on the pile of blood and meat in front of him. His mouth was opened wide as he panted deeply, a waterfall of saliva pouring down his chin as the scent of copper flooded his nose. He was trembling where he stood, barely holding back from pouncing on the tantalizing meal in front of him. The claws on his hands, that shrunk while he held Kaigaku’s, were elongated again, twitching with the need to rip and tear into them.

Kaigaku was quick to grab his arm, pulling him away from the corpses and back into the house. Once inside the safety the sturdy walls the house brought, he grabbed his other arm and started shaking him aggressively, his grip tight enough to bruise.

“What the fuck were you thinking?!” he yelled, watching as Zenitsu’s features became more human again, his thick eyebrows pinched forward in fear and confusion as he squirmed to escape from the painful hold. Kaigaku’s vision got spotty, his chest quickly moving up and down as he tried to catch his breath but it seemed as if all the air had been sucked out of the premise. His anxiety went through the roof at the thought of losing Zenitsu right after he just got him back. He couldn't go through that pain, refused to.

“Listen to me, ok?” he started, voice suddenly deadly calm but the threat lingering in every word. “You can't eat a human, you understand?” as he continued, his grip tightened even more, the omega’s bones creaking from the amount of strength behind it. “If you do, I'll… I'll have to kill you and then myself, do you understand?” Zenitsu was crying now, his squirming intensifying along with his fear as Kaigaku's anger was fully directed at him.

“I said do you understand!? Do you want that Zenitsu?! No, right?? Answer me!” his yelling was getting unbearably loud as he ignored the pang of guilt at the familiar sight of the cowering omega. He shook the blond again when he didn't answer, the effect immediate as Zenitsu quickly nodded his head, the tears rolling down his cheeks growing faster. His clawed hands sprang up and gripped Kaigaku’s arms, trying to pull him off as he tried to curl into himself.

Taking in a deep breath through his nose, Kaigaku loosened his hold, rubbing the skin with his thumbs as some sort of apology. He had to make sure Zentisu understood the consequences of submitting to his demon instincts. This small, whiny omega was the last thing Kaigaku had left, the only thing keeping him from falling off the deep end, and by every god out there he was not going to let him go. He would fight harder than he ever had before just to keep this last piece of hope alive and well. He was tired of accepting all the losses he got, for once he wanted to keep something for himself, even if it was a whiny brat most of the time.

So he couldn't fully trust Zenitsu, but that was fine, he'd make sure Zenitsu stayed pure, that he wouldn't ever even think about eating a human. He lowered his hands, one gently holding onto Zenitsu’s; as much as he wanted to comfort the omega and apologize, as he may have overreacted a bit, he didn't have the time. He had to get him hidden, the sun quickly rising to bask the land in her light. So, while rubbing his thumb over the other’s knuckles he pulled him towards the bedroom, promising to actually apologize once they were safe.

In the bedroom, he was quick to rip off the bloody clothes Zenitsu was wearing, easily ignoring the embarrassed squeak he let out as he rubbed off some of the blood caked onto his body as best as he could with some of the clothes he threw on the ground earlier. Satisfied, he stripped his own hoari off, growling lightly when it proved difficult, as he refused to take his sword off his back; while he endured the humiliation from his struggle, Zenitsu let out a quiet snort. He wrapped the garment around Zenitsu’s naked body as best he could then gently shoved him into the armoire.

Zenitsu started to make his weird clicking sounds when Kaigaku tried to close the door, arms reaching out for the alpha. Kaigaku just pushed them back with a small smile on his face, hoping to reassure the omega he was okay. That he wasn't all that mad at him and wasn't trying to punish him.

“Don't worry, it's just for a little bit, ok? Once I'm done I'll come get you right away, ok?” His voice was as soft as he could make it and it worked to calm the blond down even just a little, allowing him to close the doors. He speed-walked to the front of the house, grabbing a piece of broken wood from the door frame and walked back just as fast. He shoved the wood between the handles of the armoire; it wouldn't be enough to keep the demon in there if he really tried to escape, but it was enough to make Kaigaku feel somewhat secure.

Walking through the desolate town, quiet and devoid of life, was extremely unnerving. The smell of death made its way into his nose, causing his stomach flip, but he tried his best to ignore it as he looked for another intact house to ransack.

It took longer than it should have, but he eventually did find one, making quick work of looking through it. Half of the house was caved in, but he looked around anyway, letting out a soft noise of triumph when he found a semi-large bamboo basket with straps already attached. It was the perfect thing to transport Zenitsu in, all he had to do was get a blanket or something to wrap around it to block the poisonous sunlight. When he found nothing else, he abandoned the premise in search of another.

He looked around for a while, growing frustrated, as each house was either too destroyed or had nothing that he needed. He was on the far end of town, looking through the last house on that side, when he finally found intact and clean clothes that would fit the omega, perhaps a little big but that would be fine. He grabbed a random outfit, not caring if it matched. He also took one of the thicker, darker kimonos, shoving it all into the basket.

With the basket full of his findings on his back, he sprinted to the other side of the town where the community well was. He threw the bucket attached in to gather some water to bathe them both in; the blood he slapped onto his skin earlier now dry and flaky. He worked up quite the sweat as he pulled the full bucket back up, and then took out his blade to cut the rope and set the bucket free. Soon after, he cut another section of the rope taking the medium-sized length with him. Quickly, but careful to not spill most of the water, he ran back to where he left Zenitsu. Almost tripping on the pieces of door he made his way to the bedroom, sighing in relief when he saw the piece of wood still in place. He placed his things down to pull the wood out and threw it to the side, not wasting a second to violently pull the doors open.

Zenitsu let out a pleased cry when the doors opened and raised his arms up, pulling the alpha into a hug as he sobbed in relief at not being abandoned. Kaigaku patted his back once before pulling away, holding his hand out to make sure the omega stayed where he was as the sun was fully up now. He grabbed another piece of discarded clothes and the water bucket. He pulled his haori off of the blond, rubbing the cloth onto his skin and washing all the red off of his body.

Zenitsu grumbled and growled trying to grab the makeshift washcloth out of the other’s hands, wanting to wash himself, a fresh blush covering most of his top half. When his attempts did not work he sighed loudly and dramatically as he let the alpha finish his work.

“Stop being such a drama queen, it's quicker this way.” Kaigaku said as he checked Zenitsu's body for any more dried blood. Finding none, he dipped a clean part of the kimono into the water and washed his own face and arms.

Moving back to the bamboo basket, he pulled out the new outfit for Zenitsu, a plain, muted yellow kimono with a white lining and a muted orange obi. The colors were an insult to the bright ones he wore before, a stupid and terrible metaphor for his change. Kaigaku wished he paid closer attention when he grabbed the outfit, now having to deal with those mocking, dull colors.

He also got black tabi socks, a cloth the same muted orange with white bands to wrap around them, and a plain pair of sandals. He dressed Zenitsu as well as he could, as the omega deemed fit to fuss and fight with him, clicking weirdly the entire time, probably trying to say he “wasn’t a child that needed to be dressed”.

In a last minute decision, he shoved his haori back onto the omega, wanting him to be covered in his ozone and meadowsweet scent, anything to not remind Kaigaku how Zenitsu’s own was faint to the point where it could be considered missing.

Though, if he had to pick, he preferred this to the rotten, mocking of a scent demons acquire upon turing.

His haori was big on the omega, the sleeves swallowing his arms whole, which was a blessing as Kaigaku wasn't sure how he would explain Zenitsu’s now blackened fingers if anyone happened to see them and ask.

“Ok, turn around,” he commanded, taking the rope he cut from the well and wrapping it around Zenitsu’s mouth as a makeshift gag. The omega started to fuss and whine, his hands shooting up to rip the rope off.

“Stop! I can't trust you to keep your instincts in check! And I'm not always going to be able to do it for you, so this is a precaution, just in case!” His voice held no room for argument, making Zenitsu huff in annoyance before letting out a waterfall of clicks and growls. They fought as best they could in the tight space of the closet and with one not being able to actually speak. Using as much strength as he could, he pressed himself onto Zenitsu, pushing him into the back of the closet to immobilize him; finally getting the gag in place and rushing to tightly tie it. Satisfied with his work, he placed the now empty bamboo basket in front of the blond.

“Get in.” The look he received was pained and exasperated. “Why do you have to fight me all the goddamn time?!” He ran a hand through his hair, gripped the ends and pulled lightly, regretting his words from earlier about wanting to keep Zenitsu alive and safe.“Just come on! Please?” he asked, tired.

Zenitsu stepped into the basket and sat down, too big to really fit, making the sides bulge out. He gave another look to his older brother, letting out a series of hums in a type of “told you so” tone.

“I can't understand what you're saying, so shut up. You're a demon right? Shrink yourself to fit and don't give me any more lip or else.” he threatened. Watching disinterested as Zenitsu continued to hum his rant while he shrunk to the size of a young child who fit perfectly into the basket. However, his cloud was still above them, intimidating and challenging them to even try and contain it.

“Can you make that like, disappear?” Kaigaku asked, pointing at the dark fluff. He watched as the blond, with a confidence he didn't know he had, raised his arms up until his palms touched each end of the cloud, slowly bringing them together and smoosing it. His blackened hands lightly clapped together and he held them there for a second. They stared at each other, one full of mirth, the other confused, then Zenitsu opened his hands, shaking them, as he let out a hum that sounded like “ta-da”. The cloud was gone, disappeared into thin air, and if Kaigaku wasn't so exhausted he would have made more of a fuss about how Zenitsu knew to do that. But, not only would he not be able to get a straight answer, he just didn't care right now, he had other things to prioritize.

Now that the cloud was dealt with, he grabbed the darker kimono and placed it over Zenitsu.

“I'm going to have to cover you to protect you from the sun.” The little whimpers that the blond let out grew more muffled when he wrapped the cloth around the basket, tying it between the handles. He untied his blade from his back and slid it into his belt, then grabbed the basket, slipping his arms in the handles. He stood there, getting used to the extra weight, jumping around a little to see how this would affect his speed; smirking at Zenitsu's muffled yells. Fighting would be a little harder, but that would be a small price to pay to have Zenitsu by his side, he guessed.

He left the house and made his way to the edge of town, turning back and giving a quick nod as thanks for all they gave to him.

As he started walking, his blue jay landed on his shoulder, eyeing him worriedly.

“Don't tell anyone about this.” His voice was cold. Sure, the bird itself couldn't speak, but it could tell the crows and they would babble all about Kaigaku’s crime to the head of the corps. The blue jay chipped in what he hoped was agreement before flying in front of him.

Humming a tune he often heard from the omega as a form of comfort to the whimpering demon on his back, he followed his bird to his next mission.

Chapter Text

Panting heavily, he braced his hands on his knees, sweat dripping down his face onto the dirt below as his skin overheated from the excruciating exercise he forced himself through. He brought an arm up to wipe it off as he fully stood back up, looking towards the sky to see the purple hues of the sunset. With a quick nod to himself, he made a detour through the woods next to him, not stopping until he was far from the main path and any prying eyes. Finally stopping when he reached a small clearing next to a brook, he hurriedly made his way to the fresh water and gulped as much water as he could. With his front now completely wet and his parched throat soothed by the cool water, he carefully placed the basket on his back down, not yet wanting to bother the demon that had been sleeping inside it for three days. 

For three whole days Zenitsu had stayed fast asleep, never waking, no matter how much he was jostled, barely making a single peep the entire time. Three whole days Kaigaku had run, refusing to take a break unless absolutely necessary; moving as if his life depended on it because, for all he knew, it did. Three whole days since the incident, since the massacre of his town, since the death of his teacher and father-figure, since Zenitsu’s corruption. 

He shook his head before his thoughts could escape him, instead focusing his depleting energy into clearing any stray leaves, branches or rocks on the ground and running through the forest to get enough wood to make a modest fire. By the time the fire was made and burning fine on its own, the sun had set, leaving the space around them drenched in an inky blackness that added to the ominous atmosphere the woods always held.  

He trudged toward the basket and untied the kimono wrapped around it to reveal Zenitsu, who was exceptionally tiny and curled tightly into a ball at the bottom. The sight made Kaigaku’s face scrunch up from how stupidly cute it was, feeling his clenched fists shake with an unexplainable rage. Instead of smothering the omega like he wanted, he gently shook his tiny body to try and wake him up. He wasn’t entirely sure if Zenitsu would wake up. It scared him how the blond slept for so long without stirring: it wasn’t natural, and he was a very light sleeper. His sensitive hearing made it hard to truly fall into a deep sleep; any sound a little too loud would wake him up violently.   

However, after a few shakes the blond squirmed a bit, his face tightening in annoyance for being awoken. Small, chubby hands, covered by the alpha’s large, storm-colored haori, came up to rub the sleep out of his eye as he slowly woke up. Trying to yawn as best he could with a rope tied around his mouth, he rolled onto his back and stared up at Kaigaku, eyes crinkling in a smile as his small arms reached upwards, a child's way of asking to be picked up. 

“No.” he deadpanned, feeling that rage rise up again. Cute fucking bastard. Knowing Zenitsu was awake and fine, he took a seat near to the fire, ignoring the high pitched and muffled whines emanating from the basket.   

Zenitsu poked his head out to send a glare at the alpha before standing up straight and stretching his body, allowing it to grow back to his normal size. Swiveling his head around, he stared confused at the new location they were at, wanting to ask Kaigaku how far they were from home but not being able to. The fact he couldn’t speak anymore no matter how hard he tried scared him too much to function, so instead of thinking about it he stepped out of the basket and made his way to his older brother. 

Without a second thought, he shrunk himself down again and plopped himself down on Kaigaku’s lap, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around himself, seeking comfort. He turned his head upward until he could see Kaigaku's face, giving the alpha a smug look as best as he could when they met eyes. 

Refusing to acknowledge Zenitsu and his dumb, adorable antics, Kaigaku grabbed the stick he had saved for poking the fire with.

“We are going to do something, I wanna know if you can read or write.” he said as he carefully wrote his name into the dirt, trying to make it as legible as he could. “Point to what that says.” Zenitsu stared at the characters, squinting his eyes and even leaning down to get a closer look. 

It looked like complete gibberish to him, a mangled mess of lines that he had no idea how to decipher. He felt Kaigaku’s eyes bore into the back of his head as he stared at the word longer and longer, unable to come up with an answer.

He pulled himself back up and looked sorrowfully at Kaigaku, eyes tearing up, small whimpers escaping from his gagged mouth. That was all the answers the alpha needed. So, he couldn’t communicate at all. It was weird; he was coherent, but not able to talk either through mouth or writing. Was it possible for the demon curse to select what to keep or take away? Is it because he fought against it and was now stuck in some limbo? A punishment of some kind? What else had he forgotten? He wished he knew more about the demon curse and the transformation, especially since he might have to make a cure for it as he doubted anyone else had really tried. 

Ugh, Kaigaku wasn’t smart enough for any of this, his education was very limited since he grew up in the streets. He only got the basics when he moved in with Jigoro, who hadn’t bothered with the more complicated stuff. Zenitsu was the smart one, able to read and write complex words and do most math mentally, somehow getting schooled in his past. It was beyond rare for a streetrat to get any kind of schooling. It was a privilege for those with cash or who had close family to teach it to them, both of which a streetrat didn't have. 

A soft whine and small, soft hands planting themselves onto his cheeks pulled him out of his thoughts. Zenitsu had somehow turned himself around in his lap to be facing him, his hands lightly slapping Kaigaku’s face again, trying to get his attention.

“What do you want?” he asked, slightly annoyed, but Zenitsu just squinted his eyes at him again before cuddling into his chest and yawning as he fell asleep. “Going back to bed already?” He received a small hum in confirmation, the omega’s breath smoothing out as he fell deeper into unconsciousness. 

Why was Zenitsu so tired? He'd barely been up a half hour and now he was back to sleep, softly snoring and nuzzling deeper into his chest. When he was human, sleep had been a rarity most nights; anxiety got the better of him and caused him to escape into the night to train for hours upon hours until his body refused to move anymore. He let the omega stay sleeping in his lap, just for a little while, so he could let his thoughts spiral just a bit out of control before retiring himself. 

He'd been a slayer for a couple years now and yet he knew virtually nothing about demons as a species. They ate humans, but why? Just to get stronger? Or was there some underlying reason they craved human flesh? Could they eat other things, like normal food or raw animals? 

They were basically immortal, able to heal from what most would consider a deadly wound. The only ways to kill them were burning them up in the sun’s precious light or using the special blade every demon slayer gets and cutting their heads clean off. They were also allergic to wisteria. Maybe with enough it could kill them, but Kaigaku had never seen it happen himself, so who could say? And why only wisteria? What was so special about those tiny, purple flowers? 

They all developed a blood art of some kind, the power they hold differing from demon to demon but he doesn't know how it awakens it or how the power was picked. Do the demons themselves pick it out or was it completely random and they just have to deal and get used to their new abilities? Zenitsu's seemed to work with his cowardliness, a defensive counter to any enemy willing to attack him, so maybe their was some thought behind the blood arts. However, as he was now there was no way for him to really test that hypothesis out. Not that he'd even want to as the only way would be to turn people into demons and watch what happens. He became a slayer to get rid of demon-kind not help them grow in numbers.

But besides those basics that every slayer knew there was nothing else, like how they were even turned. He knew another demon had to do it, but how? Was it limited to one special demon or could any demon potentially change someone? He didn't notice any clear signs on Zenitsu’s body when he cleaned him up, but they could have just healed up. 

The corps had to have at least one member that studied demons and their biology. The problem was, would he even be able to find the slayer? And if he did, would he be able to get the answers he needed? Yeah, he was probably higher-ranked than most others, but that didn't mean he gained access to any of the information the corps had. Not to mention he was a traitor to them, having failed to kill a demon and now carrying it around with him. When they found out they wouldn't be happy at all, and would probably try to kill him right then and there after they’d dealt with Zenitsu. 

The corps was a very fend-for-yourself organization, only speaking to you through birds to deliver what missions you needed to accomplish and to give you the money awarded for completing it. Now that Kaigaku thought about it, who even ran the corps? It had to be some rich asshole, they're the only ones willing to prey on poor children needing cash or “ help” them get some petty revenge for lost loved ones; making them become easily disposable killers. Sure, it was for the good of the many, but why children? There wasn't a single adult at the Final Selection he went to and he doubted there were any at any other one. What even was the death rate of a slayer? It had to be stupidly high, especially since Jigoro told him most didn't even survive the Final Selection. Only a few made it to adulthood, even fewer to old age and retirement. What a fucked up organization. 

Petting Zenitsu’s soft, blond hair he sighed aggressively, so many fucking questions and not a single answer in sight. Why couldn’t shit be easy for once?   

Having enough of his never-ending questions and really feeling the exhaustion catching up with him, he stood up with Zenitsu in his arms. He placed the demon back in the basket, giving his head one last stroke then retying the kimono around it. Curling up by the fire, Zenitsu’s basket pressed against his back and his sword in hand, he fell into a light and dreamless sleep.

He woke up to the blue jay assigned to him pecking at his face, letting out a high-pitched squawk when he swatted at it. Sitting up, he stretched his sore limbs, legs like jelly, dreading the next few hours of travel he still had ahead of him. Ignoring his growling stomach, he got up and slid Zenitsu onto his back, taking a moment to stomp out any of the remaining embers from the now-forgotten fire he made. He promised his protesting stomach some food once he made it to his destination and maybe even an inn to rest his weary body. He deserved that much. 

Making his way out of the woods and back to the main path, he decided that he could afford to walk the rest of the way, no longer having any urgency to escape whatever had attacked the village he called home. To make sure his mind stayed mostly empty, he hummed nonsensical tunes. No point in driving himself crazy with things he couldn’t control right now. The best way to get what he needed was to probably become a Hashira, the best of the best with seemingly limitless power and the only people who knew who the corps leader was, probably. Who knew, maybe they were just as much in the dark as the rest of them. His humming turned sour at the thought of all the work he’d have to do and if it would even be possible, considering his betrayal to the corps. But if it meant getting closer to making Zenitsu normal again, then he'd do the impossible with minimal bitching. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Entering a village that looked like a copy of many others he saw during his travels, he was quick to find the marketplace and devour everything in sight. Thinking back, he hadn’t eaten a single thing the entire time he ran, the horrible pain in his stomach showing on his face as the smell of cooked meat and spices reached his nose. Making his way to the closest stand, he bought four skewers of yakitori, devouring two of them at once and almost choking on them, to the amusement of the seller. 

While eating the next two more slowly, he walked around the town looking for any signs of the demon that was apparently wreaking havoc on the townsfolk. There was a faint smell of rancid water in the air. Not paying attention to who was in front of him, he clipped shoulders with a passerby, who let out a tight “Sorry.” but didn’t stop in his path. 

He only got a glimpse of the man's face, his bruised features holding a bitter and deep pain, the soap-like scent most betas had more sterile than usual due to his stress. 

“Oh… poor Kazumi-san, he looks so devastated.” said a woman behind Kaigaku in a hushed whisper.

“Well, he was right next to Satoko-chan when she was taken…” whispered the other woman, her voice barely hiding her disdain for the man, blaming him for the apparent disappearance of the young woman, Satoko. 

“It’s so scary! This has been happening every night for a month straight!” the first woman said more loudly, cupping her face with her hands.

“Yeah, I really hate this.” started the man with them “Always after nightfall, our young girls get kidnapped… I wonder who’s next tonight?” he asked, looking at the other people walking around them. Hearing all he needed, he shoved the rest of his food down his throat, the pain from swallowing too much too fast making him tear up a bit, and ran to catch up with the man who bumped into him, Kazumi-san.  

“Kazumi-san!” the young man stopped at the sound of his name, turning around to stare confused at Kaigaku. “I need to ask you some questions about the abduction that happened last night, will you cooperate?” Kazumi’s tired eyes widened just a bit as he hesitantly nodded his head.

“Um, follow me, I'll show you where it happened.” he said, leading the way to the mostly empty walkway, the place was secluded, far away from the bustling marketplace, making it easy to kidnap someone without anyone noticing. 

“Satoko and I were walking here when she vanished into thin air.” His throat was tight, as if remembering was the hardest thing to do, voice wet with barely constrained tears. “I understand if you don't believe me-” 

“No, I believe you.” Kaigaku interrupted, walking around the path to find any sign of the demon stealing these young girls, but finding nothing. Kazumi watched as Kaigaku crouched down to inspect the dirt road.

“What's with this guy? Believing me so easily?”  He thought, the memory of Satoko’s father blaming him for their daughter's disappearance resurfacing, the bruises on his face still fresh and throbbing.

Night was starting to fall and Kaigaku couldn't find a single clue. Growing frustrated, he kicked at the wall, surprising Kazumi, who had stayed with him the entire time. He kicked the wall again, letting off steam, when something sharp stabbed into his back.

“What?” he whispered so quietly, to be sure Zenitsu was the only one to hear it. The omega responded by poking him again and again, the movement quick and panicked. His only guess was that Zenitsu could probably hear the demon off somewhere. “Which way? One poke for straight, two for right, three for left and four for behind us.” receiving only one sharp jab, he sprinted in that direction.

“Ah, wait! Where are you-?!” Kazumi-san yelled, amazed at how fast the alpha was, already halfway down the alleyway.

“The demon’s appeared.” was all Kaigaku yelled back before hopping onto the roof to get a better view.

“Wha- he-he flew!! Demons and demon hunters... they're real, aren't they…?” he thought as Kaigaku quickly faded into the distance before his very eyes.

Keeping his senses open, Kaigaku scanned the area for any sign of the demon Zenitsu had heard, only to stop as the demon on his back jabbed him five times.

“What?” he slowly grew annoyed with the dull pain being inflicted onto him, but it was the best and only real way they could communicate while he was in the basket. He felt his nails scratch down the basket. “Down there?” he looked down, seeing nothing but an empty walkway, but he trusted Zenitsu’s hearing, so he hopped down. It was times like those he wished he had a stupidly acute sense. It didn't even have to be hearing, he'd take anything if it made his work easier. 

“Where is it, Zenitsu?” he asked as he pulled his sword out, readying himself for a fight. Again he felt the nail scratch downwards. “In the ground then…? Alright, I'm going to walk around, poke me when I'm right over it, ok?” He stepped around the dirt path making sure to not miss a spot waiting for Zenitsu to stab at him. He was in the middle of the dirt road when he finally felt it, making him stop in his tracks. Holding his sword up and placing the palm of his left hand on the bottom of the hilt, he stabbed it into the ground, pushing it in deeper and deeper until something happened.

A huge cloud of black smoke that smelled like putrid water puffed out and landed thickly on the ground, turning into a murky, inky liquid. He pulled his sword out, hands tensing around the hilt as he waited for the demon to jump out. A pink fabric with a white flower pattern pushed its way out of the viscous water, making Kaigaku get into form, ready to deal with this and be on his way. Except what popped out wasn't a demon, it was a young girl with long, black hair. Her face was contorted in pain as she gasped for air as her face broke free from the water.

A series of fast jabs started just as a clawed hand sprang from the water and grabbed onto the young girl's clothes, trying to pull her back under. Jumping into action, Kaigaku wrapped his arms around the girl, careful to not cut her with his blade, and jumped backwards; away from the demon making its way out. The tearing of her kimono was extremely loud in the dead of night.

The demon was just as ugly as the rest of the ones Kaigaku had encountered. Its hair was black, with purple side bangs separated from the rest with two golden hair clips. Its eyebrows were made up of two big, prominent veins that branched up and out into smaller ones on its forehead and in between the three short horns that protruded right before its hairline. Its eyes were a sharp red, with no pupils in sight and dark bags lining the bottoms like a thick stroke of eyeliner. Its clothes were akin to what a Shinobi wore: mesh sewn up the outside and inside of its arms, only leaving it with two small strips of the main, dark fabric and a pale bottleneck shirt underneath hiding its neck.

“Woah!” Kazumi-san, who finally found where Kaigaku had run to, shouted as he caught sight of the beast. “Is that a-” before he could finish his question, the demon started to grind its teeth together, making a loud shrill sound that had Zenitsu crying out in pain, the basket bulging as he thrashed about, making Kaigaku stumble from the sudden violent jerking. He had never heard such a painful sound before, and could only imagine how much worse it must have been for Zenitsu with his sensitive ears. It only lasted a few more seconds as the demon dove back into the thick, dark water allowing them a short reprieve. 

“Kazumi-san! Hold this!” he yelled as he pushed the young girl into his arms without waiting for a reply. “Stay near me, I'll make sure neither of you get hurt, just try to stay out of my way.” His voice was cold and powerful, making Kazumi nod obediently, holding the unconscious girl princess-style in his arms. 

“Zenitsu?” he whispered, getting a small pained hum in return. “I need you to help me find out where the demon is, it can appear from anywhere, the ground or the walls, I'm sure of it.” he stared, eyes scanning over the area, looking for the murky water that the demon was hiding in. “Same as before, jab me when it's near.” he received another hum and got into form as he waited for the annoying pain of Zenitsu’s sharp nails digging into his skin. Sure, his uniform stopped it from actually stabbing him, but he could still feel the sharp edge dig into him painfully. 

Breathing steadily, he kept his senses peeled, body tense, ready to snap with a powerful attack at any second. A sharp jab hit the middle of his back before moving downwards, the only signal he got as the rancid water appeared below him and not one, but three identical demons sprang out, claws sharp and ready to drag him down with them.  

Breath of Thunder Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash

He swung his sword downwards, lightning shooting off in multiple strikes hitting all three of the demons, making their muscles tense up, stopping any and all movement, but not long enough for Kaigaku to deal a final blow to any of them as they sank back into the ground. 

“What the fuck??? Three of them?? Buuuuuuuuulllllllllshit!!”  he screamed internally as the situation had just become immensely more complicated. With three of them, that made protecting the civilians harder than it should have been, he couldn’t even send them away, as one would surely follow and kill them both.  

“Ah!” Kazumi yelled as one of the demons made its appearance again behind him, this one having only two horns and no sleeves sewn into its shirt. 

Breath of Thunder FIfth Form: Heat Lightning

He quickly twisted his body at the waist, swinging his sword with all his might, aiming right for its neck, searing hot lightning surrounding him and his blade. The demon leaned backwards, making Kaigaku miss his target and slash its chest instead, but he was quick and slashed again and again, needing to get rid of at least one of the demons. However, it kept sliding further and further away, clearly leading him away from the other two so its friends (clones?) could attack, so he was forced to stop his pursuit, annoyed at all his failed attempts to kill the fucker.

“You bastard!” two-horned yelled, surprising Kaigaku. “Stop getting in my way! That girl is going to get stale!” he yelled, sharp teeth clacking together violently as it spoke. “She’s already sixteen! If I don’t eat her now she's going to lose all that freshness!!” 

“Do not fret, my duplicate.” One with only one horn right in the middle of its forehead popped up behind them, its voice calm and collected, believing the battle was already won. “On nights such as these, I've already had my fill of many sixteen-year-olds from this town. They were all very delicious.” he smirked, hand coming up under his chin. 

“Well I haven't! I'm not satisfied at all! I want more and more!” two-horned screamed for all to hear. Kazumi's face scrunched up in barely contained rage as the demons spoke so freely between each other about the women they ate.

“You… you monster! That girl you took yesterday! Give Satoko back to me right now!” he yelled, his grip tightening around the girl in his arms, making her whimper in her sleep. The shrill grinding of teeth permeated the area, making Zenitsu cry out again as three-horned popped up on top of the roof, completing the circle around them. They were surrounded, with no clear escape in sight.

“Satoko? Who are you talking about?” asked one-horn, head cocking to the side. its clawed hand grabbed at its shirt, opening it to reveal hair pins and ribbons of many shapes, colors, and sizes. “If you spot her hairpin in my collection,” he started, admiring his hoard of hair accessories before bringing it’s glaze back to Kazumi, its smile widening. “Then that means I've already eaten her.” it finished with a cackle.

Kaigaku spared a glance towards Kazumi, just in time to see the tears spilling down his face, his eyes focused on the red ribbon in its collection. Satoko, whoever she was, was long dead; consumed by the demon before them. Kaigaku felt for him, he honestly did; Satoko was clearly someone very important to him, he just hoped the news of her death wouldn’t make him do anything stupid.

A nail dug itself into Kaigaku’s back again, quickly scratching to the right, notifying him of the demon coming at him, allowing him time to dodge its attack. The demon’s arm rammed right into the wall, which cracked with its vicious attack, its arm now trapped deeply in the concrete. Quickly, Kaigaku brought his sword down, cutting its arm clean off only for two-horned to pop out next to him to attack while he was distracted. Kaigaku, however, was quicker, ducking down and then jumping left as another arm sprang up from the ground. They attacked relentlessly, trying to overwhelm the alpha, to find a blind spot and take advantage of it.

Breath of Thunder Third Form: Thun-

The sharp sound of tearing fabric rang in his ears followed by the clap of thunder as blinding, golden lightning struck behind him, hitting two-horned, making it convulse as electricity coursed through its body. Slowly, it dropped to the ground, body still jerking as smoke rose from its burnt skin.

Everyone froze, shocked, all eyes focused on the blond that emerged from the basket on Kaigaku’s back, a dark cloud with golden lightning rumbling beneath the surface crowning his head. 

“Why is a mere human like you,” one-horned spoke, “carrying a demon on your back?” Zenitsu carefully jumped down from the basket, knees shaking and eyes filling with tears as he made his way to stand in front of the two humans. Kaigaku watched as the blond shakily turned around, his back now facing the civilians; furrowing his thick eyebrows as black smoke poured off his skin and joined the cloud above his head, making it big enough to surround all three of them. His eyes met Kaigaku’s and he gave him a curt nod which the alpha returned, understanding him perfectly. That’s when the murky water appeared below him, swallowing him up quickly. Zenitsu rushed to his aid.

“No! I'm going in, stay here and protect those two!” he yelled, disgusting water splashing into his mouth. Then he was gone, leaving only the crisp body of two-horned and the dark water. Zenitsu fidgeted, wanting to disobey his brother and bring him back, but he couldn’t leave those two alone and defenseless. Sighing through his nose, he faced the people behind him, giving them a shaky thumbs up and hopefully a confident face. He could do this, he’d be fine! Turning back around, he stared at the water and prayed for Kaigaku to return quickly, fear slowly taking complete hold of his mind and body.

Kaigaku floated down the thick liquid, passing by kimonos of all kinds, so many of them he felt sick just looking at them. A cackle made him twist his head to the left, finding one-horned swimming towards him.

“Do you feel the pain, human?” it asked in sick amusement, “There is almost no air in this swamp! Not to mention your body is being entangled by the darkness of its water. Heavy, isn't it?” It laughed again, the sound mixing with three-horned’s gnashing teeth as it appeared to Kaigaku’s right. “You can’t move like above! How stupid of you to come down into my domain so easily!”  they swam around him like sharks surrounding their prey. 

And that was when they lost. Like every demon, their ego grew so much they began to underestimate the humans who hunted them. As they continued to circle him, he prepared his attack, staying completely still and waiting for the perfect moment 

Breath of Thunder Fourth Form: Distant Thunder

The two demons dove right for him, claws and teeth ready to tear him apart and end his life: that's when he struck. The familiar tingle of electricity rolled all throughout his body, working itself up more and more until it couldn't hold out any longer and broke free, striking both demons with bolt after bolt.

Breath of Thunder Third Form: Thunder Storm

While they were momentarily frozen as the electricity raced through them, he held his sword up and with one, arching slash he sliced both their heads off, one after the other. Their bodies sank down to the depths of their swamp, their heads following soon after.   

“Oh, thank fuck that actually worked, holy shit!” he thought, Thunder Breathing wasn't built to be used underwater, it made his movement too slow. If he was even a second late it all would have fallen through. It was by luck alone he was able to pull it off. His prideful victory didn't last long, as the burning in his lungs became apparent, making him swim upwards. However, something shining in the corner of his eye made him stop; he hesitated for a second before changing directions. 

Up above, Zenitsu was having a nervous breakdown as the two-horned demon tried again and again to escape the cloud’s shadow as strike after strike hit him, not allowing it a second of reprieve. 

“Scary, scary, scary!!”  was Zenitsu’s internal monologue as he moved forward when the demon tried to move back; he had to make sure it stayed prone so it couldn’t join the other two in the swamp, or get any closer to the two people Nii-chan entrusted him to protect. But still, what was taking him so long?!! He needed to come back and kill this demon!!! His lightning was slowing down, the golden light inside the cloud dimming as he used up all of his energy. 

Two-horned must have noticed as he stopped moving, waiting for the lightning to strike and easily dodging it. He jumped closer to Zenitsu, arm swiping upwards and scratching him across the forehead. Zenitsu stumbled backward, a hand reaching up to cup the wound. It hurt! It hurt, it hurt, it hurt!!! This was too much! He couldn't do this anymore!!  

Too preoccupied with the pain coursing through his veins, he failed to see the next upcoming attack aiming for his face, sharp claws all pointed together.

The arm was cut off before it could get any closer, then the other arm right after.

Both demons turned to see Kaigaku back, alive and well, his face the embodiment of rage; scent growing extremely bitter.

“Don’t you fucking touch him.” The demon fell backwards, landing painfully on the wall beside him. Kaigaku was quick to push Zenitsu behind him, staring at the shocked, two-horned demon. He mercilessly sliced its head off, not sparing another glance as its body started to ash up and drift away. 

Turning around, he spotted Zenitsu sitting down by the wall on the other side, face flushed and breathing heavy, eyes blinking rapidly as he struggled to stay awake. Sheathing his sword, he made his way to the omega, squatting down to check his wounds. The cuts had already stopped bleeding, the skin slowly stitching itself back together.

“You did great.” he said, petting his choppy locks. Zenitsu’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, then finally closed as exhaustion took complete hold of his body. Slipping the basket off his back, he sighed at the huge hole in the kimono and the smaller ones that littered the back of it. He'd have to fix that before sunrise. He carefully picked up Zenitsu, who had already shrunken into his smallest form, and placed him in the basket so he could rest.

With the basket on his back, he turned to the other two people, both sat on the ground, the young girl still asleep and Kazumi looking worse for wear, but alive. He didn't need to worry about them anymore; the demons were dead. So, he went on his way, wanting to find an inn to rest at before his next mission.

“I've lost my fiancé… how will I live knowing she was eaten, probably painfully...” Kazumi’s voice was as vacant as his face, making Kaigaku stop in his tracks, standing slightly behind the beta. 

“You'll be fine. You're young, you’ll find love again. Just be glad you're alive.” A dry laugh escaped Kazumi’s mouth as he stood up, grabbing Kaigaku’s collar and shaking him violently.

“How can I be glad when the love of my life is dead?! What do you even know about loss?!” he yelled. Kaigaku grabbed his wrist in a bruising grip, roughly pulling it off of himself; surprising the beta with the strength his hand held. 

“More than you think. Don't act like you know me or my story. You don't know shit about me or what I've been through.” and for a moment, he let all the emotions he'd been holding back out, his facial features contorting in a mix of anger and overwhelming sadness. Kazumi looked shocked at the broken man in front of him, his body deflated as Kaigaku let go of his wrist and he dropped back to the ground. 

“Here.” Kaigaku tossed something at him, a piece of cloth.“People lose loved ones all the time, the best you can do for those gone is to live a happy and healthy life like they wanted you to. I'm not just giving you bullshit advice to make you feel better or win some good boy points, I'm just speaking from experience. Take it or leave it, I don’t fucking care.” Kazumi stared at the ribbon he had given to Satoko when they were first courting each other, tears welling up in his eyes as the memory flashed in his head. The way her eyes shined when he presented it to her, she asked if he could tie it into her hair, turning around to let him work. He tried his best, but the ribbon was lopsided and loose, some of her hair tied into the knot, but she looked at it like it was the best hairstyle ever, giving him the biggest smile he'd ever seen. He lifted his head and faced the receding form of Kaigaku’s back.

“I'm sorry! What I said was overly cruel! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!!” without turning around, Kaigaku raised his hand up and waved it nonchalantly.

His blue jay landed on his shoulder, gently pecking at his cheek. Another mission already?  

“Hold on,” he huffed, annoyed. “I need to find a new cover for Zenitsu before the sun comes up.” the bird let out a soft chirp in return, comfortably settling down onto his shoulder.

Chapter Text

The sharp ring of a bell echoed throughout the empty space of the inn’s reception room. When no one immediately showed up, it rang again and again until it all melded together into one shrill scream. It flooded the whole building, waking up any occupants inside, or at least that was the intention. 

Kaigaku huffed, annoyed, as he kept ringing the stupid little bell. The noise was starting to piss him off, but not enough to stop. What kind of fucking service did this place have?! His hand slammed harder on the thing as his foot began to tap against the wooden floor, the soft thud poorly mixing with the ringing. Each minute that passed added to his irritation, his palm stinging dully each time it slammed on the little button. He was beyond tired, starving, dehydrated, and in a lot of pain! Not to mention he was on a time limit, needing to get Zenitsu somewhere safe before the sun fully rose, which could happen any second now. 

The room wasn’t even going to be used for long as he had another fucking mission to run to. He just needed enough time to fix the basket and kimono. And yet, whatever fucking moron that owned this place was taking all the time in the world to come and assist him! Couldn’t they tell he was in a big fucking hurry? 

“Alright, alright! I hear you! Stop ringing that damned bell already!” an old, crickety voice spoke out. A moment later, a small, old lady rounded the corner, slowly making her way to the desk. 

About fucking time.

“One room, preferably without any windows. I don't need any meals and it's only for a day.” Yawning loudly, she handed him a key. Not bothering to count out the proper amount, he slapped some money on the desk. It should cover his room and then some. 

“Will that be all?” she asked, visibly annoyed with him as she picked up the mess of coins all over her desk. 

“Do you have a sewing kit I could use?” A thick, gray eyebrow raised at the question; she was not expecting a rude alpha like him to ask for such a thing, but didn’t argue as she quickly made her way around the corner again to grab her own supplies.

“Just leave it on my desk when you're done with it.” He nodded stiffly as he grabbed the box from her wrinkled hands. With a quiet “Thank you,” he sped off to his designated room- it was at the end of a very long and dark hallway. 

Slamming the door open then shut, he let out a big, exhausted sigh and gently slipped Zenitsu off of his back. The small bundle of a demon shifted a bit as he was picked up, releasing small whimpers into his gag at being momentarily woken up, only calming down when he was tucked into the already prepared futon. The alpha made sure the blanket covered his entire being, just in case any sunlight did somehow seep into the fairly dark room. The only light was the artificial glow the candles littered around the space made. He watched the small bump move rhythmically with each breath the demon took, finding the motion relaxing, a sign that Zenitsu was alive and momentarily safe. Sitting cross-legged as close to the futon as he could, he pulled the basket closer and untied the mess of cloth that was the kimono. 

Opening the kit and pulling out a spool of black string and a needle, he got to work. Sewing was a skill most people should know, he thought, especially slayers. Knowing how to stitch a wound closed could be the difference between life and death. It was one of the first things Jigoro taught him when he was adopted, telling him the tale of how he got that scar on his cheek; how he had to poorly stitch it up himself, as he was far from society at the time.

He started on the smaller holes that Zenitsu had made, humming that tune he always fell on when he didn't want to deal with his thoughts, the one he often heard from Zenitsu. Yet this time they seemed to pester on, as memory after memory of the older man resurfaced. Just silly little moments they spent together, whether it was training or on more mundane things. They drifted to how the old man would act if he saw the fight Kaigaku had had with those swamp demons. Would he be proud of how he dealt with them? Kaigaku knew he wouldn’t be; thanks to his incompetence Zenitsu had gotten hurt.  If he had moved faster, been smarter, or just a bit stronger, then maybe he could have taken care of those demons sooner and ended the battle with no injuries. But he wasn't any of those things, and of course it had to be Zenitsu who took the brunt of it. The wounds on his forehead were small and healed easily, but what if it was a bigger, deeper injury? What if he didn’t make it back in time to cut the demon’s arm off and it caved Zenitsu’s face in? Master would surely reprimand him for how terrible of a slayer he was.  

Actually, how would Jigoro feel knowing Kaigaku was willingly harboring a demon who could potentially attack a human any second? The old bastard hated those monsters just as much as he did. Would he be able to accept Zenitsu as he was now? Like always, these days his mind was a mess of unanswerable questions. His stitching grew messy as his aggravation grew with each thought that popped into his head, not knowing how to make them stop. Only when a tiny, chubby hand grabbed onto his pants did they pause. Ah, his messy heartbeat must have worried the blond, the flurry of emotions in his core were erratic and loud to Zenitsu’s sensitive ears. 

“Wish my only worry was sleep…” he grumbled as he moved onto the biggest hole, mind suddenly empty. Maybe if he was quick enough he could pass out for a bit before that blue jay caught on and started a ruckus. Turquoise eyes flicked to the bird nestled on top of Zenitsu, peeping occasionally as it lightly slept. Unfair that he, who undeniably worked the most, didn't get to have any time to sleep. Sure, there were demons running amuck, and it was his job to kill them, an hour break could mean lives were lost. But what were a few lives compared to his beauty rest? 

“Damn thankless job.” It was everything, civilian safety always came before his needs. A thing he started as way to get stronger, so he would be able to protect himself, now became a fucking charity. 

Shoving the newly-fixed cloth into the carrier, he decided the basket itself didn’t need to be fixed. He had nothing to mend it with and what would even be the point if Zenitsu was going to tear it open again? At least cloth was easier to repair. With his duties done, he laid down on the floor for a quick nap. He pried Zenitsu’s death-hold off of his pants and held it in his own bigger one, enjoying the slight weight it brought, sharp nails tickling the thin skin of his palm. His eyes slid shut as sleep took over any other thought...

...only to shoot back open as the bird squawked right in his face. Its feathers were puffed up, its wings spread wide in anger. 

“Five minutes.” he groaned back, the hand not holding the omega’s coming to rest on his face. Receiving another squawk in reply, the thing bit and pecked at his hand, trying, and succeeding, in annoying him awake. 

“FINE! Just shut the fuck up already! I'm up, I'm up!” ready to kick that fucker into a wall, he sat up. “You know, you should be nicer to me! I'm out there risking my damn life to kill these demons and what do i get in return? Some measly cash and a broken body! The fuck do you even do, huh?!” as he moved to get the map his heated rant continued. However all movement and speech abruptly stopped when one thought popped into his mind. 

He sounded like Zenitsu... 

Groaning loudly he sat back down near the bird, map in hand. He’ll deal with that thought another day. The blue jay hopped towards the now open map, searching for the next place it needed to send it’s rude owner and tapping on it insistently. 

“Asakusa, Tokyo huh?” Luckily, it was only about a two day trip from where he was now. Tokyo meant big crowds and lots of nuisances to get in his way as he looked for and hunted the demon, but it also meant better street food. His stomach growled, already empty from the small amount he had eaten the day prior. Quickly getting the rest of his stuff together and Zenitsu safely tucked back into the basket, along with the sewing kit, he left the inn. He needed it more than her; the extra cash he threw onto the desk should be enough to cover its cost anyway, so it wasn’t like he was stealing. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The lights of the city were bright enough to block out the never-ending black of night; the scents of all types of food mixed with all the scents of the cityfolk, becoming an overpowering blob of smells that could give even the scent-impaired a headache; it was loud enough to wake the dead. Man, he had missed the city. It was filled with rich folks who wouldn’t notice a missing coin pouch or expensive jewellery until he was deep into the network of alleyways he had called home for a short period of time. However, the slight movements from the basket seemed to beg to differ, as the sounds overwhelmed the omega inside. 

Brushing past people without even a single apology, he broke off onto a path that led to a park of some kind, its sides lined with trees that blocked off most of the busy street. Lanterns were few and far between; not a single soul in sight, besides an udon cart in the distance. 

Slipping the basket off, he untied it so the demon could hop out. While Zenitsu stretched his cramped limbs, Kaigaku folded the kimono and shoved it in the carrier, slipping both handles on one shoulder. 

“Hold my hand, I don't want you running off anywhere and causing a scene.” He held his hand out, which Zenitsu readily took, his bright eyes crinkling in a sweet smile. They made the short walk to the cart, catching the attention of the bald man sitting there smoking his pipe. He greeted them passively. With a quiet “stay” to the blond, Kaigaku walked up to the man, both exchanging quick pleasantries. 

“A bowl of yamakake.” He handed the man the appropriate amount of money, which he exchanged for two steaming cups of green tea. Taking the drinks to the bench where Zenitsu, whose head swiveled around in wonder as he observed their new location, sat. He handed him the other cup, joining him on the bench. The omega stared at the drink, a single stem bobbing in the pale liquid, then looked back to Kaigaku, staring into him with his wide, glowing eyes. The raven-haired teen stared right back confused. Did he not want the drink? Well, he was a demon, he supposed they didn't need or want normal drinks or foods. A sharp, black finger raised up and pointed to the rope tied around his mouth as his head tilted in the form of a question. Oh, right. Placing his own tea down, he quickly untied the rope. Just for a little while couldn't hurt. 

Freed, the omega took a sip of tea, humming as the taste bloomed on his tongue; its warmth pooling pleasantly into the bottom of his belly, the taste just a little bitter. 

“It’s good?” Kaigaku asked before taking his own sip. Zenitsu nodded lazily, both hands wrapping around the cup, seeking out its heat. They sat in relative silence, only being interrupted when the food was ready.

As Kaigaku ate, Zenitsu scuffed his feet in the dirt, taking a sip once the warm feeling in his belly faded. He debated on asking Nii-chan if he could also get a bowl, maybe it could ease the pain in his stomach like the tea was doing a little. It didn't take the pain away persay, but it was a nice distraction from the intense hunger that had been plaguing him since he woke up in his new form. As he was about to ask, a sound caught his ear. His whole body froze as he strained his ears, begging that he had misheard, that that disgusting mockery of too many heartbeats in one body was a trick of the mind. 

Suddenly, the omega sprang up, his teacup thrown to the floor, its contents spilling out to stain the dirt. He was shaking violently, what little scent he had left turning burnt. That was all the warning Kaigaku had before the blond started sprinting towards the cramped main street. Right to where a bunch of helpless people walked, unsuspecting of the demon racing towards them.  

“Zenitsu?!” he shouted, getting up himself, the bowl on his lap shattering on the ground as it fell off. He ignored the yell from the older man and went to follow the blond, needing to stop him before he reached the people. But Zenitsu was always faster than him, breaking through the mass of people before Kaigaku even made it halfway through the park. His small body easily maneuvered between the obstacles in his way, his form fading into the crowd. He was ungagged too, free to attack and consume any innocent victim just trying to enjoy the city at night. 

“Move! Get the fuck outta my way!! Zenitsu!! Get your ass back here right fucking now! ZENITSU!” he continued to screech as he shoved anyone and everyone out of his way. Shit! Why did it seem like the crowd was only getting thicker? Why were there so many people out right now?! He just had to take that fucking rope off! What the fuck had gotten Zenitsu so freaked out anyway? He ignored every shout of anger he got for shoving people out of his way, his sight and hearing zeroing in on the omega racing towards something . 

Zenitsu suddenly stopped in his tracks and Kaigaku almost ran him over, able to stop himself just in time to lightly bump into the blond. His hand roughly grabbed Zenitsu’s arm, a scolding on his tongue as he tried to pull him out and away from the masses. He stopped completely when he heard two words, whispered oh so softly, like the man hadn’t meant to say them out loud.

“My omega…”

He finally broke his gaze off of Zenitsu, turquoise eyes ballooning as they caught sight of the man in front of them. 

He was tall, taller than Kaigaku and most of the men surrounding them. His build was thin with a bit of muscle, broad shoulders sloping to a small waist. His skin was so deathly pale he looked more like a ghost than a living human. Black, curly hair stood out against his skin like blotches of ink on paper. Sharp, threatening, blood-red eyes stared at Zenitsu intently, not even bothering to give Kaigaku the time of day as his cat-like pupils bored into the omega. His outfit screamed “rich asshole”: a black tuxedo jacket with a pattern of red embroidery expertly sewn into the lapels, a finely-pressed black dress shirt underneath adorned with a white tie that matched his pants, freshly polished black loafers and to top it all off was a white fedora with a blood-red band.

Then there was his scent, an awful mix of coppery blood and rotting corpses, just barely covered by a heavy amount of expensive scent-blocking cologne. This thing in front of them wasn't human in the slightest.

His gut was screaming at him to run away, that this monster was not something he could fight, yet his mind screamed louder. It was speaking a truth Kaigaku didn't know if he was ready to hear. That this demon in the white fedora was the same one that attacked his home, that killed his father-figure and made Zenitsu into the creature he was today. 

Zenitsu's reaction to the beast was a dead giveaway. The way his body shook with dread, nails elongated as weak growls vibrated in his chest. Black smoke poured off of his body in heavy waves, forming his protective cloud. Zenitsu would never run towards something that scared him willingly unless there was a valid reason for it. But the most obvious clue was what the demon had said, the way it raked it’s eyes down the blond in shock, like it didn't expect him to be there, or alive. Kaigaku pulled Zenitsu behind him, blocking him from the alpha demon’s sight in a form of protection.

“It was you...” Kaigaku’s voice was cold, his rough hand grabbing the thing’s arm in a grip so hard it could break bone. The demon finally looked towards him, eyebrows furrowing in repulsion as it tried to shake its arm out of his grasp. “You were the one who attacked my home, my family.” It had also turned Zenitsu, but he left that unspoken. 

His other hand clasped the hilt of his sword as his veins, flooded with rage, bulged on his face and arms, everything blacking out as a deep intimidating growl broke out of his chest. It caused a few bystanders to pause in their walking.

“Daddy?'' The soft, curious voice of a little girl broke through the ringing in his head. “Who is this?” her tiny arms wrapped around the demon’s neck as her round, brown eyes stared into Kaigaku. 

What? 

“I don't know, sweetheart. Do you have some business with me, young man?” To another, that smile the demon sent him might have seemed polite and friendly, but to him it was a sickening, smug smirk of a beast who did terrible things without mercy, taking pleasure at the despair it left in its wake.

“Oh my, what's all this?” another voice spoke out, more mature and sugary.

“Mama!” The little girl turned to face her mother, but the demon didn't bother, its gaze slithering back towards Zenitsu. Kaigaku swore he saw the tip of its tongue peek out to lick its lips, its rotten scent tinged with arousal.

“Humans... Those two are humans for sure, scents still pure and even pleasant. Why are they with this monster, don't they know?” His mind raced as his grip tightened on his blade. He needed to kill the monster, but that naive little girl had her arms wrapped tightly around its neck. He should rip her off, yell at the mother for endangering her child by letting such a beast hold her. 

Turning to said devil, she said “Oh? Do you know him dear?” Her gloved hand pointed towards Kaigaku, but he barely noticed it through the blood rushing in his ears.

“Hmm, no he seems to just be a troubled man, maybe he mistook me for someone else?” its face mocked pity as it finally looked at its “wife”.

Then, quicker than he ever saw a demon move, its arm swung at a man walking past them, the wife none the wiser as she spoke up again. 

“Is that so?” Kaigaku tilted his head to the side just in time to witness the blood spurt out of the back of the man's neck. He toppled over onto the woman next to him who caught him in her slender arms. All eyes, including the little family the demon acquired somehow, turned to the scene.

“Honey? Are you alright?” her face grew concerned when he started shaking, his hands snaking up to her shoulders; grasping them tightly. “Ah, d-dear you're hurt-” he suddenly rose up, head pointed to the sky as he let out an agonizing scream. Opening his jaw wide he swooped down and bit the woman on the junction that connected her neck and shoulder. If his scream didn’t cause a scene then the one she let out surely did. Loud enough to be heard round the world, going shrill as sharp teeth dug deeply into her flesh. They both fell to the ground, the freshly turned demon on top with blood coloring his pale face.

Without thinking, Kaigaku tackled the man off of her, pulling both his arms behind him and pinning them to his back with one hand, while his other hand smashed the man's face into the dirt. 

Once he was sure the newly turned demon was secure he risked a glance at Zenitsu and froze at the sight. Slowly the blond morphed into the horror he saw before, when he was over that family of three. His sharp, blackened hand clenched the bottom of his clothes and drool poured off his chin, free to do so because Kaigaku had taken off that stupid fucking gag. The demon in his grasp jerked wildly, almost breaking out of his hold. 

“Honey!” the wife yelled out through her tears, her hand cupping the wound on her shoulder, unaware of the other one staring at her with a starved look.

“Someone get her a cloth to wrap that up in!” he growled at the cowards surrounding them. No one moved. Why would they? They had a nice spectacle to watch and talk about later to their friends.

“Omega! Listen to me, don't do what you're thinking, or I swear to god I'll hit you! Look at me, Omega!” His alpha command slipped into his voice as he ordered Zenitsu around. The blond flinched at his words as the order pulled on his omega instincts, begging him to listen to the alpha speaking to him, but it wasn’t enough against his demon ones as they urged him to attack, to feed on the weak, injured prey before him. Shaky hands let go of his clothes, slowly lifting up to his face, and in a fit of pure desperation, he chomped on his own fingers. Blood immediately welled in his mouth, joining the drool down his chin and staining the pale yellow of his stolen kimono. The sudden pain broke him from his trance on the woman but he knew the second it eased up he'd be back at it, so he bit harder and even harder. Each time the muscle and skin tried to heal, he'd disrupt it with another slam of his jaw.

Kaigaku cried out in distress, the need to stop Zentisu from hurting himself more and to get him away from this situation bubbling up. He swallowed it down as the demon below him tried to wrench himself out of the alpha’s hold. He should just have been glad Zenitsu was able to snap out of it before he made a terrible mistake. The refusal of his name must have pushed his omega side more to the front of his mind, giving it the nudge it needed to fight the hunger.

The demon in the fedora knowing what they looked like was bad enough already, but he refused to let it know their names. Speaking of, he scanned the crowd for that freak, spotting it in the back of the ever-growing crowd, whispering to its wife before they walked off and away from the show. 

“LISTEN HERE, YOU UGLY MOTHERFUCKER!” he roared at the receding form of the fedora demon, scaring most of the people around them. “COUNT YOUR FUCKING DAYS. YOU MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN AWAY THIS TIME, BUT NEXT TIME YOU WON’T BE SO LUCKY! I’M GOING TO SERVE YOUR HEAD TO GOD ON A SILVER FUCKING PLATTER!”  The amount of rage flooding his being couldn't even be described, and it only worsened as the demon turned around to smirk at him. The fucker didn't see him as a threat at all. Then it was gone, leaving only the mess it had left behind as the cops busted through the wall of bystanders, batons in hand and hollering.

“Everybody back up!” one officer ordered the crowd. “And you let go of that man!” 

“Not unless you have something to restrain him with!” he growled back, his focus going back to Zenitsu as more blood leaked out of his mouth with each nash to his torn-up hands. Smoke still poured off his body, but he couldn't spot the cloud anywhere. It was probably high above everyone, hidden in the night sky, waiting for an opportunity to attack if need be. A cop hesitantly approached the blond, but stopped when he noticed the amount of blood staining his clothes and the floor. Instead, he moved to the crowd and tried to get them away from what he must have deemed a lunatic. Another cop seized Kaigaku’s right arm, pulling on it roughly to try and dislodge him from the man. Good for nothing pigs, acting like they're helping when all they do is make things worse. Typical.

“Stop that! This person hasn't killed anyone yet! And I’m not going to let him because you’re a fucking idiot!” the third cop joined the first, grabbing the collar of his uniform. Kaigaku tried to kick them off with his legs, getting one in the groin. A small feeling of satisfaction spilled into his core when he dropped to the ground in pain. 

“Demon Blood Art: Aroma of Visual Fantasy.” A soft but powerful voice spoke out, her words holding a command like no other. The smell of rotten mulch and medicine hit his nose, along with a hint of copper. His head snapped up to witness a wave of… flowers? They surrounded him, the demon he held and Zenitsu. The cops let go and backed away as more flowers wove around them, shouts of confusion growing muffled.

“A-fucking-nother one?! How many demons were in this place?”  Why did they all come to where he was? The demon he held tried to escape again and he pushed him harder into the dirt, peeved at how his night was turning out.

“You,” that voice spoke out again as not just one, but two new demons appeared before him, they appeared to be an adult woman and a young man who stood right behind her. The woman’s brown hair was braided neatly on each side then tucked into a plump bun on the back of her head, held in with a purple flower hair pin. Her eyes were large and seemingly kind, but the lavender that faded into white with no pupil, gave her a dead-eyed stare. Her lips were colored a deep red that made her pale skin pop out. She had one arm up, deep red lines ran down the length of it, and blood dripped off her elbow and onto the dirt. 

She wore a dark purple kimono that had red flowers with a yellow center and pale green leaves sewn into it, along with lavender vines that coiled around her form. It was held together with a cream colored obi. 

She stared down at Kaigaku with a scrutinizing gaze, her dark lips parting to speak, albeit a bit hesitantly.

“You're trying to save him, correct? And you called him a person, even though he’s been turned into a demon…” Kaigaku just stared at her, dumbfounded, not sure what she wanted from him. Was this a form of humiliation, to get a rise out of the little slayer boy who couldn't take care of a demon? 

“Very well, I'll lend you a hand.” Though he didn't answer, it seemed what she found in his face was enough for her.

“... What? Why?” his turquoise eyes squinted at her in suspicious “You're a demon too, aren't you? I can smell how rotten your scent is…” she looked a bit troubled at his words, but didn't deny them.

“You're correct. I might be a demon, but I'm a doctor first.” her dead-eyed glazed flicked to the man in his grasp, pity and grief overwhelming her entire being for only a moment as, quicker than lightning, it transformed into fury. “That man you yelled at before, the one with those dreadful red eyes? I want him dead too. Kibutsuji Muzan is something that should have never been made into being.”

“Kibutsuji… Muzan…” Kaigaku repeated, the name leaving a foul taste in his mouth.

“Please, allow me to take that man and his wife to my clinic to help them. I swear to you my intentions are nothing but pure.” his eyes snapped to the demon still struggling in his grasp, then to Zenitsu who was now sitting on the dirt ground, slender arms wrapped tightly around his legs as he hid his face in his knees; bloody, healing hands clutched his kimono in a death hold as his form shook with Kaigaku could only guess were sobs. They finally landed back to the woman, her gaze never faltering. 

“I'll also tell you all about Kibutsuji and his goals.” Lavender to white eyes flicked to Zenitsu for a split second, and he fought the need to do the same. 

“How do I know that you're not trying to trick me?”

“You just have to trust me.” was her reply. The idea of learning more about that fedora demon, Muzan, was more than enough to persuade him, if she was telling the truth. But in the end it wasn’t like he had much of an option, as he was severely outnumbered and didn't even know what the kid behind the flower demon’s capabilities were. His choice was made the minute she made herself known.

“Fine… but if I find that you were lying I won't rest till you’re ash drifting away with the wind.” he let go of the demon below him, who the kid was quick to grab. He looked young, maybe around the same age as Zenitsu or himself. His short hair was brushed neatly to one side of his forehead, the colors a mix of white to mint green then black at the tips. His lavender eyes glared at Kaigaku, his lips stuck in a prominent sneer. He had a dark, pale green button down tucked into dark blue pants with an open white kimono covering it. 

The three demons and injured woman all left quickly while the blood art was still in effect. Kaigaku didnt waste any time and he followed suit, grabbing Zenitsu’s arm as he ran back to the park.

Only when the busy main street was out of sight did Kaigaku stop. Dropping Zenitsu’s hand, he walked to the nearest tree and punched the trunk as hard as he could. The sudden thundering pain that shot up his arm felt deserved. He did it again and again and again. Until his arm went numb, until his knuckles split open and bled readily onto the grass below and until the bark where he hit had chipped off, either embedding into his skin or joining the blood on the ground. 

What a shit show he had just performed. Because of his incompetence, someone else got turned into a demon, because of his ineptitude the monster who massacred his home escaped to kill more, because of his incapability to do the one thing he’d trained to do for years he was forced to give two other demons not only a freshly turned one but an injured innocent. God, because of how garbage he was Zenitsu had to hurt himself in order to keep in check. He should have been there to stop him, to calm him down before that point, but he wasn't. He was too busy being a fucking disgrace. 

He was going to punch again but cold, soft arms wrapped around his before he could. He looked down to see Zenitsu hugging his arm like a lifeline as he sobbed freely, broken clicks and growls scolding the alpha between his tears. His hands had healed by then, blood dried onto the blackened skin and stained into his clothes. If Kaigaku was a better slayer none of that would have happened.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing he could say would have been enough. This was the third time Zenitsu had gotten hurt because of him. Why was he so bad at protecting what he loved? 

He ripped his arm out of the omega’s grasp, shooting his hands up to yank at his hair as he screamed through gritted teeth. He kicked at the dirt, punched more trees, throwing a tantrum like a fucking child. He tried to do good for once in his life and he couldn't even do it right. He should have died the night his mother abandoned him, maybe then none of this would have happened, all the people he'd hurt would be living different and better lives. 

Just as he was about to throw himself into another fist fight, something caught him by the waist. It squeezed him tightly, pulling him away from the line of trees as more clicking, only this time louder, spilled into the night air. He tried to fight the thing grabbing him, not done punishing himself for his failures, but a faint, comforting scent caught his nose, like peaches in a bowl of warm cream. It calmed him down in an instant as he huffed the homely scent, his tense body loosening and his energy depleted, leaving him a broken, tired teen. 

Zenitsu's quiet weeping echoed in his head and he was quick to turn around and face the demon. 

“Oh, Zen, did Nii-chan scare you? I'm sorry, shit, hey d-don’t cry. It's ok, Nii-chan’s not mad at you.” he tried to soothe the blond, his bloody hands fidgeting around him as the blond continued to cry. Zenitsu shook his head at Kaigaku’s words, growling out what the alpha somehow knew was an apology of his own. His smaller arms waving around as he growled, fat tears rolling down his cheeks leaving streaks in the dried blood adoring his face. 

Kaigaku grabbed his smaller body, pulling him into a hug as he whispered reassurances to him that it wasn't his fault, that he wasn’t mad, that everything was going to be okay. Zenitsu must have been terrified and hurting right now and Kaigaku’s little tantrum wasn’t helping anything. 

“Don't worry, Nii-chan swears he’ll protect you.” his arms tightened around the smaller body against him. “Just don't run away from me like that ever again. You scared me. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you...” Something worse than what had already happened, that he had let happen. Zenitsu nodded again, clawed hands gripping the back of his shirt tightly. He swallowed down the anger and self-loathing that tried to work itself back up, instead focused on chasing away Zenitsu’s fears. 

Zenitsu pulled away with wide eyes, clicking out more apologies. A fist tapped the top of his head, forcing him to stop.

“You're fine, stop apologizing already.” If anyone should have been saying sorry it was him. “Come on, let's go get our stuff.” he said instead, knowing a simple “I'm sorry.” wasn't going to fix anything, that he needed to get his shit together and actually protect the omega like he had promised he would. “Ah, but first let me…” he pulled the sides of the haori around Zenitsu tighter, covering the blood on the kimono, then licked the palm of his hand to rub away the blood covering his chin. Later, when they were safe and able, he’d use the sun to burn the demon blood out of the cloth, and hopefully they'll find a place to bathe.

Now that Zenitsu looked as normal as he could be, Kaigaku started to walk away, but Zenitsu stopped him with a gentle grasp on his wrist. He pointed at Kaigaku’s wounded fists. “That old man probably has something we can use to wrap it.” he promised prying Zenitsu’s hand off and into his. 

“YOU!” the bald man screamed once the two were in sight. 

“I'm sorry about the bowl!” Kaigaku bowed, then grabbed Zenitsu by the back of his head to make him bow too. “I'll pay for any damages!” 

“I don't care about the bowl, you moron! You wasted my precious udon and for that I can never forgive you!” veins popped all over his bald head in anger as he scolded the two. “You both are going to sit down and eat whether you like it or not!” he grabbed them pushing them onto the bench and shoved chopstick into their hands. 

A few seconds later and they both had a big helping of noodles on their laps. Kaigaku looked between both bowls, accepting he was going to have to eat both of them, but was surprised when Zentisu broke his chopsticks apart and dug into his meal, albeit a bit poorly as his hands couldn't seem to find a comfortable way to handle the utensils, like he knew the method of holding them but couldn’t put it into practice.

“Do you like it…?” the alpha asked. Was this even ok? But Zenitsu turned to him, cheeks stuffed full of noodles, some spilling out of his mouth, crinkled his eyes as he nodded and hummed happily. Kaigaku watched him eat with vigor, the contents of the bowl slowly but surely disappearing, and joined him. All self-deprecating thoughts were forgotten as he simply enjoyed watching Zenitsu contentedly eat.

Chapter Text

A small family found themselves in a quiet, secluded part of the never-sleeping city after escaping the scene from before. They were still a bit shaken up at what they had witnessed, pity and disgust clouding their minds. 

They slowed to a stop in front of a closed store, waiting by the curb for a slick, black car that the husband had sent for earlier. It didn't take long for it to show up, rolling up right in front of them, only having to wait a minute at most. Just another example of the husband’s large wealth. He opened the back door smoothly, shepherding his wife and daughter inside with a gentle hand. Not bothering to get inside himself, he slammed the door shut, much to his wife's surprise. She shifted to the window, rolling the glass down to speak with him.

“Are you not coming with us, dear?” She looked concerned. He sent her a warm, loving smile, bending down to her level before speaking.

“I'm afraid I still have some meetings to attend to for work.” His daughter climbed onto her mother’s lap, shooting a small hand out the window for her father to grab. “Also, I'm still a bit disturbed about that scene just now. Quite strange, wasn't it?” His wife’s fretful look worsened and she joined her daughter in grabbing his hand.

“I don't think that would be such a wise idea…” Her dark brown eyes stared at him, pleading; worried for him. But he just laughed her off, already retracting his hand from their grip.

“Don't worry so much, my wife, I'm just going to talk to the police. I'll be back home before you know it.” He kissed her then his daughter before pulling away. With one word to the driver the car rolled off into the night, his daughter peeking out the window to wave goodbye at him. The man smiled and waved back, shouting a few words of love to the receding form of the car. 

Once it was out of sight, he dropped his carefully-placed act like one would a searing-hot skillet. No longer was he the caring husband nor the doting father but a man of great, impossible power, someone worthy of everyone's deep-seated, primal fear. His painted smile fell with his arm as the air around him grew cold and absolutely dominating. The few people walking past paused, the hair on the back of their necks rising in an unknown terror.  

He strolled off, turning down a seemingly-abandoned alleyway to a destination only he knew of. He kept his head down, hat tilted in a way that obscured his features. However, his peaceful, lonesome walk was interrupted by three drunk and rowdy pests coming down the other end of the alleyway. They were speaking loudly and dancing about, joyfully joking with one another as friends were to do. As they passed him, he and the smaller man bumped into each other lightly. The drunkard stumbled, a hand coming to cradle his poor, injured shoulder as he exclaimed in over-dramatic pain.

“Ow! Hey! Watch wh’re you’re goin’, asshole!” he slurred out, red face going even redder with drunken rage.

“My apologies…”  the alpha man spoke dryly, only saying it for the sake of being allowed to continue on his path. But that didn't seem to be enough for the drunkard in the slightest, as a disgusting, grubby hand grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop once again. Without turning around he spoke more firmly. “I am sorry. Now let go, I have some urgent business I need to attend to.”

“Pffffffft!” The drunk man sloppily waved his other hand, “You know, your clothes are quite fancy!” He sloppily bobbed his head as he spoke. “That pisses me off!!” He let go, stumbling a bit before pointing accusingly at the man. “And your face! So pale! Did you die? Are you part of the walking dead?! Hahahaha!” 

With a simple swing of his arm, the alpha backhanded the drunkard across the face. The force sent him into the brick wall on their left, the spot he smacked into now covered in a splatter of dark blood. His limp body slumped onto the cold, unforgiving ground, blood dripping off his broken face in fat drops. 

“The fuck did you do to my brother?!” The bigger of the two screamed at him, but he didn’t dignify him with an answer. Past the point of playing nice.

“He-hey... He’s dead! Yatsu-chan’s not breathing!!” The woman shook his corpse, body trembling in fear and in shock. She looked up just in time to witness her other friend being kicked in the stomach by the man in the white fedora. Her friend, now high in the sky, coughed up a bucket of blood which rained down on her terrified form. 

His once warm and living body made a sickening crunch as it planted into the ground; the sound alone was enough to make her throw up. However, the scary man was suddenly right in front of her, causing her to flinch and swallow her vomit.

“Miss…” he started in a voice so devoid of life, “Does my complexion look terrible to you?” he moved closer, so close she could feel his freezing breath against her skin. 

“Eh... uh...” her mouth flapped open and closed. She was scared! This thing before her was too terrifying! Her mind was shutting off, only a small chant of help echoing inside. “Someone please, anyone, help me!!”

“Is my face too pale?” blood-red eyes filled with disdain stared into her soul. “Do I look… weak to you?” the word was spat out between impossibly sharp teeth. “Do I look like I don’t have much longer to live? That I'll drop dead any second?” He slightly pulled away from her, resting one knee on the ground as his other stayed up for his arm to lay upon. “No, no, no, no. I am perfect. A creature that is so infinitely close to per-fec-tion.” He growled out the word slowly, sounding out each syllable. A cold, sharp finger poked the middle of her forehead and her breath hitched as it slowly slipped inside her skull.

“Humor me for one more question and then I'll... let you go. It's okay if you don't know the answer.” He stared down at her with his head tilted to the side in mock curiosity. “What do you think would happen to you if you received a massive amount of blood from me? Hm?” She felt something cold and foreign enter her head. It curled possessively around every inch of her head only moving on when the whole cavity was drowning in it. “A human body like yours cannot accommodate such a sudden transformation.” As he ripped his finger out, she could feel the inside of her body melting. A searing-hot, never-ending pain running all throughout her whole self as her skin, muscles, and fat bubbled and blistered. All she could do was hoarsely scream as her mind broke from the impossible amount of pain running through her veins. “Your cells start to break down. One. By. One.” Bored, he watched as her body, now nothing more than a pile of mush, messily fell to the ground with a wet plop.  

He stood back up at full height, fixing his suit before sharply snapping his fingers at the thin air. Like they'd been there the entire time, two demons kneeled before Muzan, their heads bowed in deep fear and respect. 

“What is your bidding?” they asked simultaneously. He licked the leftover blood off his finger, bloodied lips pulling into a sickening smirk as he tilted his head towards the moon. 

“Find the omega demon with bright, yellow hair and bring him to me before the night ends.” They gave him a curt nod before rushing off, leaving their Master to stare up at the dark sky and lick his lips in anticipation.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you feel okay?” Kaigaku asked the happily-humming omega, his blackened hands patting his… full? Stomach. He didn't know how okay it was for a demon to eat anything that wasn't human flesh- would there be any side effects? What if he threw up in the basket? He grimaced at the thought of cleaning it up. 

Zenitsu nodded back at him, that ever-present hunger still looming in the background but eased enough to make him feel a million times better. “That's good, I guess I'll get you a share when I buy food then.” Zenitsu’s wide eyes brightened as he hummed excitedly. It made a small smile form on Kaigaku’s tired face and he reached out to pet his blond locks. He pulled away not long after, much to the omega's disappointment, to get their things ready, when Zenitsu suddenly snapped his head towards the main street again. This time Kaigaku was quick to grab his wrist in a tight hold, though he had tied the rope gag back on once they were done eating, he still didn't want to take any more risks. His heart could only take so much in one night. 

Peeking around the blond he caught a glimpse of the beta demon boy from before, hidden in the shadows. 

“Come on, it's time to go.” They gave a quick goodbye to the bald udon seller as well as their thanks for the free food.

“As long as you understand that noodles need to be treated with respect. Come back again!” he nodded back at them, turning away when they walked off.

“I'm surprised you came to get us.” Kaigaku sneered at the kid, fixing the straps to the bamboo basket to fit more securely on his one shoulder.

“How else would you find us?” Pale, lavender eyes slid towards Zenitsu, who was yawning beneath the gag, his covered hands coming up to cutely rub his eyes. “He’s a demon, isn't he? A gaudy one at that, I can't stand to look at him...” the beta’s face scrunched up as he judged the blond. 

It took a few seconds for the insult to process in Kaigaku’s mind. 

“HUH?!” Marching up to the kid, he roughly grabbed at the collar of his shirt, pulling him up so they were nose to nose. “Who the fuck do you think you are, insulting my brother like that?” Zenitsu raised a fist as he let out a muffled shout behind his brother. “Only I can do that!” his arm fell back down as he stared at Kaigaku, offended. “And that's the best you can even come up with? Gaudy? Do you even know what the word means? Have you even seen Zenitsu?” he scoffed. “You know who’s gaudy ? You!” Spit sprayed from his mouth with each shout, hitting the demon’s face. 

“Don't get mad at me for being honest.” the beta spat back, grabbing the hand holding him and ripping it off. Startled at how easily the demon was able to pry him off, he missed his chance to punch the kid as he started to walk off. 

“No! You don't get to walk away! Get back here and really look at Zenitsu! If you're going to bother to insult him might as well get it right!!” He grabbed Zenitsu’s face. “Just look at him! Do it! Look at his stupidly cute baby face! With his dumb, chubby cheeks and moronic shiny eyes!! Who the fuck said that was allowed?! I just wanna smother him to death!” He laid the flat of his palms onto the sides of Zenitsu’s head and squished them together until his face was all squashed, eyes squinted shut and lips smushed. The omega grabbed Kaigaku's wrists, trying to pull them off as he growled out, annoyed. Kaigaku fought back, now pinching the other’s cheeks and pulling them far apart as he continued to call him stupid and cute. Having enough of being manhandled like this, Zenitsu kicked Kaigaku’s shin, causing him to yell out in pain; hands dropping to cradle it. 

The other demon stopped in his tracks when he noticed the other two weren’t following. He turned around just in time to witness Kaigaku tackling Zenitsu onto the dirt ground where they started to wrestle.

“Why did you kick me?! I was defending you!” Kaigaku screamed as he got the other into a headlock; using his other hand to rub his knuckles into his head painfully. Zenitsu just growled something back, arms and legs jerking around wildly in an effort to get loose. “What? I was so!!!” One of the blond’s hands hit Kaigaku’s eye, making him reflexively let go with a loud shout. Finally free, the omega got up and ran to the beta, hiding behind him as he angrily growled at his brother.

“Don't touch me.” the beta sneered as he pushed Zenitsu onto the ground. Staring up in shock at the other demon, his doe eyes started to tear up pitifully. He turned his head towards Kaigaku and sniffled pathetically. His arms raised up, fingers opening and closing in a silent beg to be picked up and coddled. “Tsk,” the beta clicked his tongue at him. “Hurry up and follow me, a lady like Tamayo-sama shouldn't be left waiting.” He started his walk again, this time refusing to stop if they didn't follow. This was a waste of time anyway. 

Kaigaku picked the now-shrunken omega up, holding him like you would a toddler before running after the other. He yelled obscenities at him for daring to think he was allowed to push Zenitsu like that.   

“I swear to God, if you ever touch Zenitsu again I will not hesitate to kill you, are you even fucking listening to me? Turn around and face me like a man, you coward!!” They reached a towering stone wall, a piece of paper with an eye drawn on it pinned to the top. Kaigaku, too focused on threatening the beta, didn't even notice as they walked through the wall like it wasn't even there. Beyond it was a huge house with an even bigger, lush yard surrounding it. The lavish property was enough to finally make the alpha shut up as he stared in slight amazement. 

“Ah, I'm back!” the beta said happily as he walked through the front door with the other two in tow.

“Welcome back.” the woman, now with an apron wrapped around her, greeted them. She was seated in front of the human woman that was attacked. Kaigaku peered at her prone form, catching the slight rise and fall of her chest as she slept peacefully.

“Is she alright? You didn't do anything to her, right?” He bared his teeth at the demon woman but she barely reacted to it.

“I just patched her up, she'll be fine,” Her dead-looking eyes flicked to the floor. “Her husband, though… I have him caged in the basement right now.“ He made a face at that but didn't bother to comment. What else could you do to a feral demon? Besides killing it, of course. 

“Must be weird... for you, a demon, to take care of a human’s wou-GAH” A hard punch to the side cut him off. The arms around Zenitsu tightened hard enough to make the omega whimper in pain. He stared incredulously at the brat that had just hit him, his blood boiling hot and venomous.

“What? You think we drool as we treat our patients? That we can't help but take a little sam-” 

“Stop it.” Her soft yet powerful voice rose up, making the beta snap his mouth shut. “Why do you always resort to violence?” She sounded like an exasperated mother as she chided her apprentice. “I'm sorry for his lack of manners. As well for mine, I’ve forgotten to introduce myself! I am Tamayo and that child is Yushiro. Let us all,”-she gave a pointed look to the beta-“get along nicely.” 

“Ha.” Kaigaku let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, alright, sure. ” He had no hope for any future relationship with these two, only humoring them for his own gain. Tamayo looked pained for a second, but didn't say anything more about it, easing her features back into a neutral look.

“To answer your question, no it's not weird nor a hindrance as I have it much easier than others when it comes to my cravings.” He barely caught the way her lifeless eyes flicked to Zenitsu, who had been hiding his face in the alpha’s shoulder this entire time. “I’m… able to manipulate my body to my own whims. As such, I made it so I was no longer affected by Kibutsuji’s curse.”  

“Manipulating your body?” Did she mean shapeshifting? Most demons could do that so what made her so special? 

“I made it so I don't have to consume any human flesh, I just have to drink a small amount of blood every once in a while.” 

"That's possible? It would explain why they were so calm around the bleeding woman. Could Zenitsu become the same way…?" He clicked his tongue at the thought. Of course it was better than the alternative, but he would rather not have Zenitsu tainted in any way. 

“How is that any better?” he argued back. Her hands expertly untied the ribbon keeping her apron on, placing it neatly on the back of her chair. She motioned for him to sit on the tatami floor with her which he reluctantly did, though a bit clumsily as he still had a hold on Zenitsu. 

“I suppose it’s not… If it makes you feel better we buy it from people who need the money more than I do. We only take around a pint, which won't cause any damage to them. At most, they'll be dizzy for a bit.” she casually explained, like she was talking about the weather. 

“My student is even more impressive,” her voice, which had been leveled the whole time, went just a bit higher as she praised Yushiro. “He needs even less blood to survive.” he flushed at her complement, vibrating like an excited puppy. She shifted back into a more serious air, her dead lavender-to-white eyes staring right into Kaigaku’s turquoise ones.

“I was the one to make him a demon.” she confessed softly.

“You?!” Could she have been there when Zenitsu was turned? Is that why she wanted to speak with them and not just outright kill them? Was this all just a ploy to steal him and give him to that, that thing pretending to be a man?! His chest rumbled with a deep growl and his arms tightened protectively around Zenitsu as he dared her to try anything with the hateful glare he sent her way.

“There are a few demons able to turn people besides Kibutsuji, but they are extremely rare. After living for 200 years I was only able to make Yushiro a demon…” she explained, not bothered by his clear aggression towards her. He didn’t trust her, not a single bit, but forced his instincts to relax. He needed to milk all the information he could from her while she was docile. So, he stuffed his nose into Zenitsu’s neck, getting as much of his omega scent into him to ease himself, his growl quieting with each sniff. 

Calmer, he raised his head back up so he could speak clearly. “200 years? Damn, you're one old hag-” A strong force met the back of his head, forcing it back into Zenitsu’s shoulder.  

“You uncouth ruffian! Do not insult my Tamayo-sama with such disrespectful names!!”

“Yushiro! Hit him one more time and I won’t ever forgive you!” she scolded him, almost at her wit’s end with him.

“I'm sorry! I promise I won't do it again!” He shot straight back up. “ Even when she's angry with me she's beautiful!”  he thought as a small blush rose on his cheeks. 

Sending him one last glare, she turned back to Kaigaku, whose head was still tilted downwards from the hit. Zenitsu patted the back of his head in worry, trying to ease the pain and humming comfortingly.

“Don't misunderstand me though, I don't want there to be more demons in the world, I just…” She looked troubled, red lips pursing as she thought about her next words. “I only ask those with incurable diseases, so they could live for even just a bit longer…” Turquoise eyes stared deep into her own, searching for any deceit in them. “I always ask beforehand, let them know what exactly I am suggesting and if they would go through with it, becoming a demon, just so they could be with the ones they love for a little longer.” He couldn't find any, she was an open book, every word spelled out so clearly there was no way for him to misinterpret them at all. 

He stared into her harder, even scenting the air to see if he could catch any deceit in her disgusting, rotten scent. Still nothing. Though he took everything she said with a grain of salt, he couldn't deny how helpful she was being. If she was with the monster, they would have surely killed him and stole Zenitsu the second he stepped into their territory. Could she be the ally he was looking for? 

If she knew how to make people into demons, then maybe… He bit his tongue, hating that he was considering relying on a demon for help. But who else could he go to? Who else would help him, knowing he was harboring a demon? In the corp’s eyes he was a traitor to mankind.

“Tamayo-san,” It was the first time he addressed her, the first time he addressed any demon besides Zenitsu. “Would it be possible to turn a demon back into a human?” He felt Zenitsu’s arms tighten around his head.

“Turn a demon back to a human…” she repeated his words. “There is…”

“Tell me!” He let go of the omega, carefully but quickly placing him to the side so he could grab her and demand the cure, but a heavy body tackled him onto the tatami floor before he even had the chance. 

“Don't touch Tamayo-sama!!!!” 

“ Yushiro…” and just like that, Kaigaku was reminded that the kind and mousy woman before him was a powerful alpha as well. Her voice held the command of one, forcing her beta student to sit down obediently.

“I didn’t hit him! I tackled him…” he looked back at her innocently.

“Don't do either! Just don’t touch him!” her sigh held the weight of an exhausted mother and she shook her head. 

“I'm gonna kill him…”  Kaigaku promised to himself before sitting back up, patting the frantic omega’s hair while reassuring him that he was fine.

“Every illness has a cure waiting to be found, but as I am now there’s no way I can do it…” That was the exact opposite of what Kaigaku wanted to hear, his tired and hurt body deflating. “But,” she continued “I will do all that I can to research and develop a treatment. In order to do that, though, I need to study a large amount of demon blood. I have two things to ask of you.” he sat up on his knees, giving her his full attention. 

“First, please do your best to gather as much blood from demons with lots of Kibutsuji's blood running through their veins. It will be a difficult task, as you'll need to target those close in strength to him.” He nodded at her, more than ready to face off any demon. 

She hesitated in her second request. “Your brother… he's an omega correct?” Kaigaku had noticed how her eyes would slowly roll to look at Zenitsu the entire time they spoke, but would quickly snap them back as she caught herself. 

“You can tell?” With his scent almost gone it would be hard to. Of course, you could guess based on his actions, but it was rude to assume.  

“Hm, when you live for as long as I have, it becomes second nature to know.” she hesitated again, lip trembling just slightly. “I've also… hunted... for omegas, especially male ones, for a long time so I can tell extremely easily.” 

“Hunted?” his suspicions rose up like a tsunami, overbearing and all at once “What do you mean by that?”

“...” she flicked her eyes back to Zenitsu, who was now hidden behind Kaigaku’s back protectively. “Did you know omegas cannot become demons?” She answered his question with one of her own. “Not because of some immunity, but because the transformation is too stressful for their bodies.” He didn't know that, he just thought they never bothered to try, as most see omegas as weak and worthless, just like the human side of the population. “Omegas are sensitive beings, they can't take on too much stress without side effects, death being the worst and most common.” she continued to explain.

“I don't-” He tried to say something back but Tamayo was quick to cut him off.

“Did you also know that demons can breed with humans? But only with omegas while they're in heat, something to do with their biology and the high fertility rate omegas, especially males, have.”

“What are you saying?” He had an inkling, but the thought was so repulsive his mind tried desperately to reject it.

“I'm saying that Kibutsuji was hoping to transform an omega, preferably a male one, into a demon and use them to birth a purebred demon.” 

“You’re joking…” Though he knew she wasn’t; she didn't seem the type to joke about something like that. But some part of him still refused to believe that his baby brother was turned into a demon just to be made into… into someone’s breeding bitch.

“I wish I was,” her face, which had been neutral for the most part, had darkened with sadness and regret. “but I am not, I was forced to aid him in this goal for quite some time. But, of course, all the omegas we tried had died. I'm not even sure if, once turned, the omega would still be able to conceive…” She whispered the last part to herself. “Tell me, how long has Zenitsu-kun been a demon?”

“I-I don't know, a week or so?” he replied dumbly, as his head was still reeling with all this new information.   

“Hm, still too soon to see if he’ll experience a heat. He still has his pure scent, though, albeit faint…” she murmured, thinking out loud. “Zenitsu-kun seems to be special, not only by being the first omegan demon and keeping his fresh scent, but also by somehow breaking his connection from Kibutsuji and controlling his hunger.”

“Ah, he hasn’t really, when he smells blood he goes all feral and creepy-looking, but it seems like I can break him out of it.” Kaigaku explained. “Wait, break his connection?” 

“Demons are made when Kibutsuji injects his blood into them, the blood will attach to their cells and forcefully change them to that of a demon. However, his blood is still, alive I guess you could say, allowing him to keep track of them. He knows where every demon is and what they are doing. But, since he had not come after you or Zenitsu-kun in the time between Zenitsu-kun’s turning to when you ran into him, his connection must have been severed. I don't know how, as it took me years to figure out how to break mine…” She bit her lip and furrowed her brows in thought. “Well,” she eased her features up “that’s not important right now. As for my second request, please allow me to study Zenitsu-kun’s blood. I feel as if he has a huge part in making the cure.” 

“I'll do whatever it takes to cure him, I don't care about the price.” Kaigaku had already sold his soul to this goal, ready to make this the last thing he ever did. He didn't care how hard or impossible it seemed, he would fight anything, even the gods themselves, to make this a reality. 

“Thank you.” she gave him a small smile. Her mature, beautiful face was already enough to make Zenitsu blush, but the added smile turned his insides to goo as he shyly hid behind Kaigaku. He was so distracted by her beauty that he missed Yushiro’s death glare pointed right at him. 

However, before a fight could break out, both Yushiro and Zenitsu snapped their heads to the ceiling in time to see something break through the wood like it was paper. 

“Lady Tamayo!” Yushiro yelled out as he grabbed her, protecting her from the bouncing object, Kaigaku doing the same with Zenitsu.

“Heeheehee!” a childish cackle came from outside the now-destroyed wall. “Just like ya’ said Yahaba! A house appeared outta nowhere!!” A small piece of paper with the same eye design as the one on the wall fluttered to the ground just as one of the two demons walked in front of the largest hole. She had skin so pale it was almost blue in color, making her black hair with bright-orange tips stand out even more. Her eyes were a bright hazel with cat-like pupils and full of childish mirth, just like her cheeky grin. She was wearing a bright-orange kimono with a black hoari on top. Her obi had a fish scale pattern on it, the most inner half-circle being red while the other two were bright yellow. The scent that clung to her was an overpowering medicinal soap of a demon beta. 

“Why of course I am. My, my, it seems like this one had learned quite the useful blood art.” Another spoke, his voice more refined. “And what's this? A slayer is with them? What does this mean, I wonder?” Kaigaku couldn’t see him from where they sat, but he had to be close with how clear his voice was.“ But Susamaru… the way you do things is a bit much, way too childish and messy!” Susamaru just widened her cheeky smile as he scolded her, dribbling the two balls in her hands. “My kimono got all dusty…” 

“Oh, shut up! It's thanks to my Temari ball that we found them right away!! Aren't I great?” she flashed him a wink and stuck out her tongue. “Now we have even more time to play .” She eyed his kimono up and down. “It's not even dirty! Stop being so fussy!!” Kaigaku watched as she faced back towards them, still dribbling the balls.

“She smashed up the house with a Temari ball?! Just how strong were those things?”  Kaigaku wondered, staring the demon down, his grip on Zenitsu tightening.

“Kyahaha! You guys suck at hide and seek! It was too easy finding you!” she stopped dribbling to instead hold the ball up, her grip tight enough to make a normal Temari ball pop but, hers barely even buckled. “Let’s see if you're any better at catch!” 

“No way, that woman…” Yushiro watched in sudden realization as she raised her arm up, the appendage bulging with veiny muscles. “Could she be one of his minions?!” 

She threw the ball against the floor, the sound akin to a clap of thunder as it smacked against it before bouncing into and around the house. Kaigaku pulled himself and Zenitsu to the floor just as the ball passed them by, feeling the wind rush by them fast and hard enough to cut.

Yushiro watched as it came right towards him and Tamayo, not hesitating to toss her out of its path. He quickly dodged as it came for him… Only for the ball to suddenly change course, aiming right for his head and obliterating it. 

“Shit!” Kaigaku yelled out at the gory scene. Tamayo caught Yushiro's body before it could smack into the ground, his once-pristine white kimono stained red. “Zenitsu!” He faced the demon cowering in his grip. “Get the sleeping woman in the back somewhere safe!!” He heard a panicked hum before Zenitsu was running into the back, black smoke pouring from his skin to form his protective cloud.

“Hahahaha! I got one, I got one! Ten points for me!!” She jumped up and down excitedly. “Hm?” She stopped when Kaigaku stood before her, blocking Yushiro and Tamayo from her.

“I can sense how strong she is, she has to have a lot of Kibutsuji’s blood coursing through her veins.”  He gripped the hilt of his sword as he studied her. “I will bleed her like a pig.”

“Hey, hey!” She started to dribble her toy balls again, her playful smile sharpening. “The kid you sent away, he’s the omega demon, isn't he? Isn't he?” 

Chapter Text

“She's after Zenitsu?”   He guessed Kibutsuji didn't want to waste a second in trying to get Zenitsu into his clutches, though he had to wonder why the fucker didn't bother to come and get him himself. Just another self-important asshole who would rather send his lackeys to do his job for him.

“Tamayo-san, will you be okay by yourself? Maybe you should follow Zenitsu?” he suggested. She was probably the only key he’d ever find to unlocking the cure and would rather not risk losing her just after getting her. 

“Don’t worry about us, Kaigaku, just focus on the fight.” Her face hardened in anger as she held her healing student closer. “Yushiro and I are demons after all, we’ll be ok without you protecting us.” 

“Right.” Just as the conversation ended Susamaru threw another ball. “ If it can change where it goes on a whim, there's no way I can completely dodge it.”  As the ball rapidly advanced towards him, he readied his stance, sucking in as much air his lungs could hold.

Breath of Thunder Fifth Form: Heat Lightning

With a loud hiss of his breath releasing through gritted teeth he swung his sword at the ball in an angled arc, the blade penetrating it and stopping its movement. The scent of burning flesh tickled his nose as his form burnt the ball embedded onto his blade. “Are they made of demon flesh? Are they a part of her?”

“Ha! Some toy you got there!” he mocked while swinging his blade around, the ball now sitting motionless by the end of his sword.

“Hehe…” she just giggled back at him. He stopped his gloating to stare at her critically, hating the mischievous look she sent his way. Slowly, a buzzing worked its way through his sword and up his arm, the ball vibrating violently as it fought with the stillness that he forced upon it. Caught off guard, it didn't take much effort for his sword to shoot forward and smack him in the face. 

“HAHAHAHA!” The demon laughed out annoyingly loud, her arms wrapping around her stomach as the ball smacked him again.

He growled as he forced his sword downwards and kicked it off. “How the fuck does this ball work?! It's not a special throw or whatever, it's like the thing has a mind of its own!!”  he growled again as he desperately tried to wrap his mind around it.

“Lady Tamayo!” Yushiro’s voice suddenly boomed through the night air as the lower part of his head finally regenerated. “I tol- gak -” he choked on blood as it poured from his still-healing head and into his throat. “I told you, didn’t I! I told you from the very beginning not to get involved! My blood art isn't perfect, it has too many disadvantages!” Tamayo looked down at her student, understanding where he was coming from, but unable to accept it.

“I can hide a building and the smell of people, but there's no way to erase their existence entirely.” He paused to let out a pained groan as more of his head grew back, a sickening cracking sound being made as his bones reformed. “And the more people there are, the easier it is to leave a trail! The possibility of Kibutsuji finding us increases exponentially!” She knew that, but she couldn't just let the omegan demon escape her, not with how important he could potentially be to her research. 

“I'll never forgive you for this!” Yushiro’s head had fully healed by now, his eyes filled with a burning rage. “I hate it when anyone interferes with my alone time with Tamayo-sama! I really, really hate it!!” 

“Bluh! What are you even talking about!” Susamaru laughed out as she grabbed at the hem of her kimono. “Come on, we’re having fun, yeah? Let's get back to the game already!!” she ripped it off her arms, exposing her body from the waist up. She had a white cloth wrapped around her chest to keep some of her modesty. “You should be honored that I, one of the 12 Kizuki, am here to kill you!” She grinned so wide it made her eyes squint shut.  

“She's one of the moons?!” Kaigaku exclaimed, looking at Tamayo for an explanation. Was she an upper or lower? How was he even supposed to tell? 

“Kaigaku! If she really is one, her blood would be most helpful to us!” 

“Enough talk!” Susamaru grunted as four more arms grew out of her torso, the snapping and popping of bones echoing into the night; her muscle growing at an exceptional rate, making Kaigaku feel sick. She now stood with three arms on each side of her torso, all of them veiny and muscular; holding a Temari ball each. “Let’s play! Let's play till the sun comes up! Until all of you are dead!” She cackled maniacally as she threw every ball in her possession right for them. 

“If I use my blood art now it will also hit Kaigaku, and Yushiro needs time to prepare his. What do I do? What can I do?!”   Tamayo's mind raced, feeling useless as her student used his body to protect her while Kaigaku slashed at each ball aiming to kill them. 

Breath of Thunder Second Form: Rice Spirit 

Moving faster than the normal eye could see, he let out a series of slashes at every ball that came his way. He was able to slice them into multiple pieces, hoping that that would be able to put their carnage to an end, but the sliced halves stayed suspended in the air, as if frozen in time. They wibbled a bit before all the pieces shot towards him, hitting him in the legs, chest and head.

“Cutting them lessens their strength, but it doesn't stop them.”  he hopped around, trying to concentrate while more and more balls relentlessly came for him. He broke out into a sprint, one ball leaving the herd to follow suit, moving any way he went to try and strike him down. Soon tiring of their game of chase, as the ball never lost any of its motion, Kaigaku slowed to a stop, jumping into the air as it barreled at him. When he fell back down he tried to stab his blade into it, but the ball dodged his attack. Luckily, his reflexes were quick enough to change course, follow it and finally embed his katana in it. “There's no pattern at all! Is this a part of her blood art?! Are these balls really alive?!” 

As he landed, he laid witness to Yushiro and Tamayo getting hit by three balls all at once, each hit leaving a gaping, horrendous hole in their bodies. He felt a pang of worry for them well up inside, but quickly shook it off. With how merciless the demon was, he couldn’t spend time worrying over beings that could heal from almost any wound.

“Hey, you stupid slayer!” the brat yelled at him, a huge chunk of his head missing with bits of blood and brain matter sliding off and hitting the ground. “Look at the arrows! If you watch them you'll know which way the balls are going to go and you can avoid them!” 

“What fucking arrows!?” he yelled back, slicing two balls in half only to get hit by them anyway.

“Urgh! I'll lend you my sight! Use it to dodge them and cut that stupid woman’s head off! You can do that, right? You're not that incompetent right?” Yushiro held his hand up to his face before throwing something towards Kaigaku. It was a piece of paper with that same eye design drawn on it, and a pin attached to it hit the direct center of his forehead. Suddenly his vision was filled with a multitude of black arrows going in every which way, a Temari ball attached to each one.

“You couldn’t have done this sooner, asshole?” His turquoise eyes followed the tail of each arrow, hoping to find their source: all of them merged into one line which led to the line of trees in the far end of the yard. 

“There you are!” he moved to follow them, but a ball shot right into his path, effectively stopping him. As he tried again, two more were thrown his way, a clear sign to stay away. As he was about to yell out in frustration, Zenitsu flew past him at full speed, headed straight for the trees; his cloud fully formed. He jumped up into the foliage, landing on one of the higher branches and kicked at the demon hidden inside, too afraid to use his cloud, as he didn’t want to start a fire. The demon had blocked the kick easily with one arm, the attack barely even phasing him; snarling at him all the while.

With the arrow demon preoccupied, Kaigaku went on the offensive, using his second form, Kaigaku danced around each ball that was shot at him, slashing the ones that came too close, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction bloom in his chest as they fell, powerless, to the ground. He kept this up until he deemed himself close enough to Susamaru, where he switched to the sixth form. Electricity raced from the bottom of his feet to the tips of his fingers as he readied his strike. With each step he took towards her, the lightning inside his body built up and up until he couldn't contain it anymore; with an arching downward slash of his blade he hacked off half of her arms. The lightning that shot out from his attack made her muscles taut, allowing him ample time to spin around to her back and cut the other half of her arms off in one swoop.

“Be careful to not let your guard down! If she really is one of the twelve Kizuki they will be stronger than any demon you've faced before!” Yushiro yelled at him distractedly, making his socked feet stumble in the dirt and missing his chance to chop her head off.

“I know that, stupid! So stop yelling at me!” he yelled back, forced to hop away as one of her legs kicked at him. 

“Tamayo-sama! Quick, we can use this as a diversion and escape to safety!” He went to grab her hand, but she pulled it back like he burnt her, her face twisted in disgust as she quickly stepped away from her student. “Hahaha! I was just kidding! It's a joke!” he laughed awkwardly, trying to backpedal but her disgust still held fast.

“It wasn't funny.” was all she said back, her attention once again focused on the slayer.

While the others were busy with the ball demon, Zenitsu was having a very bad time by himself with the arrow demon. Each kick he sent was blocked effortlessly, but he didn’t know what else to do! More black smoke poured off of him as his stress and frustration grew, but he still refused to use his cloud, as a fire wouldn't be helping anyone.

“You bastard! Stop kicking up dust! Look at how dirty I am now!” Zenitsu was just about to jump back on him when he noticed the eye on Yahaba’s hand. He only had a second to notice that the pupil was an arrow that pointed to the right, before it closed, and he felt a sudden force push him to the right. He was flung right towards Kaigaku, too focused on fighting Susamaru, whose arms had already grown back, to notice him barreling towards him. 

“Kyahaha!” she cackled as she swiped her arm towards Kaigaku, barely missing as Zenitsu slammed into him and pushed him out of harm's way. “Die! Die!” Her shrill screams were the only warning they had as she slammed a ball down towards the brothers. Acting on pure instinct, Kaigaku managed to pull them out of the way, the ground where they laid before an empty, smoking crater. 

“Slayer take out the arrow demon!” Yushiro ordered him. “Leave your brother with us to distract the ball girl!” Kaigaku growled, not one to take orders kindly from a brat like him, but he had no choice. 

“Zen, be careful over there, okay? Nii-chan won't be far. They need your help, so be brave for me, okay?” he looked down at Zenitsu, who laid across his lap. Though his bright eyes were filled with tears of fear, he nodded his head, eyebrows furrowed in determination. With a quick, shared nod they separated into opposite directions. 

“I need to make sure to get a lot of his blood. In order to cure Zenitsu, I’ll fight whatever demon that’s sent my way, and I’ll fuckin’ win.”  Flash stepping in a zigzag pattern, he made his way to the arrow demon who jumped down from the tree he was hidden in.

Breath of Thunder Third Form: Thunder Swarm 

“Pft, disgusting child, don't come near me.” the demon muttered as he raised his left hand, the bulging eye briefly showing an arrow pointing upwards before shutting. An arrow appeared below Kaigaku, pushing him backwards. In a fit of desperation, he leaned forwards and messily swung his sword, only for the attack to scarcely miss the demon. The sudden pushing didn't stop until his back slammed into a nearby tree, knocking all the wind out of him. His pained gasp was cut short as he felt another tugging force pull him into another tree, next the ground, then to the towering brick wall. As if he weighed nothing, he was mercilessly thrown around, smacking into every hard surface nearby.

“This fucking hurts!!”  was his only thought as he was thrown around, not able to get any other thought through with each excruciating hit. Suddenly, he was yanked high into the sky, having only enough time to finally catch his breath before the arrow broke and he quickly descended towards the ground. “Shit! Fuck! Ah- a technique! Use a form to soften the fall!”  

Breath of Thunder Fourth Form: Distant Thunder

Letting out a series of lightning strikes towards the ground along with a broad slash of his katana, he was able to slow his fall. Not enough to stop him from smacking into it painfully, but enough to save his life.

“Hm... Hey, Susamaru, isn't that one over there Tamayo-san… the runway?” he chatted with the other demon casually, completely unbothered by the fight he was a part of. “She’d make a wonderful present, no?” 

“Oh, really?” Susamaru answered back, chucking another ball towards Zenitsu, giggling gleefully as the lightning that tried to strike it missed. His cloud was running out of energy, the lightning no longer able to keep up with her neverending attacks. As the next ball came for him, he knew he wouldn't be able to rely on his protective cloud anymore, and he readied himself to instead kick the ball back at her.

“No! Zenitsu, don't kick it!” Tamayo warned a minute too late as his leg connected with the Temari ball. A loud crunch followed by a splat rang into the open yard as his right leg was torn off from the knee down. With his weight suddenly unbalanced, he fell onto the ground in front of Susamaru. 

“Zenitsu!!” Kaigaku yelled out, pained and scared, “Roll!! Roll to the right!!” but his voice fell on deaf ears as Zenitsu was still reeling from the sudden and burning pain racing through him. To add insult to injury, Susamaru sent a hard kick into his stomach, rupturing his organs and making him choke on a wave of blood as the gag blocked it from escaping his mouth. The force of the kick had him rolling all the way towards Tamayo and the house. Curling into himself, he let out a loud, muffled whine. Heavy, wrecked sobs tried their best to slip through his gag as the pain overtook him.  

“Haha! Yeah, Kemari is great too! This is fun! You're so fun to play with!!” She cheered, jumped up and down as the excitement overwhelmed her. “Hey, Yahaba! Bringing four heads back is better than two, right?!” 

“No,” Yahaba patted the dust off himself, scowling at the mess being made. “We just need the omega demon and the runaway, the other two are useless fodder.”  Suasamru let out a small, pouty ‘boo’ but didn't fight him, more than happy with the way the game was going. 

“Zenitsu, sit up for me.” Tamayo soothed the crying blond, helping him up to lean against what remained of her clinic. “His regeneration is extremely slow, the blood hasn't even stopped yet…”  

She fished a syringe filled with a yellow liquid out of her intact medical bag, she flicked it a few times to make any air bubbles reach the top before squeezing some out. “I'm going to inject you with a drug that will help you heal faster, okay?” 

“Goddamnit!! What should I do?!” Kaigaku’s mind was a mess. He was worried about Zenitsu, his alpha instincts putting him on edge, feeling the need to protect overwhelming him, but his every attempt to escape to him was thwarted by the eye demon, each try causing them to go farther and farther away from them until they were on the opposite side of the property. “Fine, since he wants my attention so badly, I'll give it to him. I shouldn't worry about Zenitsu anyway. I believe in him. I need to focus on my own fight.”  he reasoned with himself but that small spark of worry never left. He walked in a slow, wide circle around Yahaba, trying to calm his nerves and find an opening of any kind. 

A multitude of arrows shot towards him, but he quickly flipped out of the way, not once stopping in his dodging as they kept coming for him.

“Okay, assess what you know! They're fast, they don't vanish until they hit me.”  he swiped his blade down towards one, only for it to throw him into the direction it pointed, “If I try to cut them with my katana, it’ll just force me into the arrows’ direction. What the fuck can I do?!” 

As he growled in his growing frustrations, an arrow wrapped around his left arm.

“I’m sure you know this by now, but everything my arrows touch go in any direction I desire.” Yahaba snickered smugly as the arrow tightened around Kaigaku’s arm painfully. “With this one, I'm going to tear that arm off!” 

It started twisting his arm backwards, the pain so great he had to grit his teeth so hard his gums started to bleed in order not to scream. “W-what if I…” with no other plan in sight, Kaigaku jumped into a backflip, moving with the arrow instead of against it. As he spun midair with the arrow, he heard a tearing noise. The arrow pulled his shirt sleeve off, making the fabric twist and knot itself into a ball. Newly freed, he landed unsteadily on his feet, head spinning and stomach convulsing as the nausea hit. 

“I’m gonna throw up… guh…” He stumbled around as he slowly gained his bearings again “I can’t keep this up, I need to start taking a more offensive role! Is there any way for me to change their direction without touching them?!”  his socked foot slid in the dirt as he ran forward, three arrows aimed straight for him. 

Breath of Thunder Third Form: Thunder Swarm

Instead of trying to avoid them, what if he just used the arrows to his advantage? Hot platinum lightning coiled around the arrows, bunching them up and controlling their movements. He continued to twirl, his legs working hard to keep their speed and not trip on themselves. Each spin brought him closer to his target, sweat beading at his temples from the heat he was generating and the exertion of pulling the arrows with him. It’s then that Yahaba brought one of his hands up, the eye on it closing its lid and making the arrows suddenly change direction, but Kaigaku was prepared for this. With precise footwork, he was able to twist his body to follow the flow once more. 

The speed and power he built up from his twirling had him straining to keep from dropping his blade, but it was all worth it as Kiagaku was finally able to slice the demon’s head off in a messy, heavy slash. Powerless against the inertia, he was also thrown face-first into the ground, unable to snap his arm out to catch himself.

“You! Dirty! Bastard! If it wasn't for you I would have been able to bring the omega to him and have him recognize my value!!” Yahaba’s decapitated head landed dully in the dirt, rolling to face Kaigaku as his yelling grew in volume. “I'll never forgive you! Never ever!” his body stumbled about, bypassing Kaigaku as he pushed himself to stand back up. “Not to mention you got dirt on me!!! I'll crush you for this!” a plethora of arrows stabbed themselves into Kaigaku’s body at his declaration. With a pressuring force, Kaigaku was yanked towards the brick wall at an incredible speed. He barely had enough time to use his fifth form to try and soften the blow, leaving a huge gash in the stone bricks as it pushed him away from certain pain. As soon as he dispelled that one, another force pulled him to the sky.

“It's so much stronger now! I can’t even lift my arms, I gotta-urgh- I gotta try, though!” his arms trembled against the force pulling him upwards. “One chance to get this right or I'm as good as dead…” 

“Breath of Thunder Second Form: Rice Spirit!” Kaigaku screamed as he finally got the strength to lift his katana above his shoulder. As he was yanked to each obstacle he slashed at each once, trying his best to bounce back off of them and lessen his injuries as much as possible.

“Goddammit!! How is his blood art still in effect? Shouldn't that bitch be dead by now?!”  it felt like hours passed as he kept slashing at each new obstacle he was shot to; his arms were shaking as his energy decapitated rapidly. He never had to use his second form so much, it felt as if his tendons were going to snap if he continued anymore. “Fuck off! Come on!” 

Then, just like that, that invisible force that was pulling at him like a toy vanished and he dropped pitifully onto the ground. Writhing on his back like a fish on dry land, Kaigaku gasped desperately for air; his body spasmed in pain and exhaustion.

“Fuck… I can't… Get up! Zenitsu needs-ack-he needs me!! Get up!” he rolled onto his front, seizing almost immediately as his right leg crunched and burned. “It's broken...”  each gasping breath told him his ribs were also in bad shape. Still, he ignored each jab of pain, using his arms to agonizingly crawl to his katana, but as he tried to grab it his fingers refused to grip onto it. A sob escaped his tired body as he tried again and again to get a hold of his blade. He was so tired. He just wanted to give up and lay on the cool dirt, but Zenitsu needed him. 

“Move, you bitch! Grab your blade and move!” he screamed at his tired body, feeling the last of his energy bleed out of him and a deep dread move in instead. Just as he was about to give up, a clap of thunder went off, louder than a bomb, and a bolt of lightning shot down, so bright it seemed as if the day had forced its way into the night. It landed in the part of the land where Zenitsu and the others were. 

“Zenitsu?!” he shouted out desperately, panic and worry flooding his erratically beating heart. He had no idea what kind of situation they were in but he knew it wasn't anything good. Filled with a new vigor, he grabbed the handle of his katana with his teeth, canines piercing the braided silk. Using what little strength he had left, he clawed the dirt as he forced himself to crawl to Zenitsu.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tamayo injected the needle into the meat of Zenitsu’s thigh, watching tensely as the drug was pushed into his body. Zenitsu twitched as he started to heal faster, a tingling, burning sensation flashing up his body as his cells rapidly regenerated to form new muscles, bones and skin. 

“Oh, wow! Look at him go! Healing almost as fast as a newly-born demon!” Susamaru joked, dribbling her Temari balls as she waited for them. “You're lucky that you've been a lot of fun to play with, or I wouldn't be as patient as I am now!” Tamayo sent a glare at her while rubbing Zenitsu’s back, comforting him. The last bits of his foot were healing when he finally opened his eyes; grabbing a hold of Tamayo’s shoulder he used her to push himself up. He limped away from them, wincing as he stepped on his tender leg, finally fully regenerated. 

“He’s finally up, it's about time!” She stopped dribbling her ball, instead throwing it into the air then catching it. “Who would have guessed His breeding bitch would be so weak…” Zenitsu’s eyes widened at her words, his breath quickening. “Though, it should have been obvious, you were made just to be fucked then cast away, right?” She leered at him, her smile which had been childish and cheerful now turning cruel. 

He couldn’t take this anymore! Everything hurt!! And those things she was telling him, he didn't want to hear them anymore, not again! He hated those words, that name! Breeding bitch, a hole, a womb, useless omega only made to be pupped. Was that all he was?! Was that all anybody saw him as?! He didn't want to be that! He wanted to be more! His hands flung into his hair, pulling on the sweaty strands. “Why are people so mean to me? What did I do wrong?”  was his final fleeting thought as something akin to despair took a hold of his core.

“Tamayo-sama, look…” Yushiro pointed to the night sky. She followed his arm, her eyes widening at the encompassing, inky void that seemed to have completely swallowed the sky. Her gaze snapped back down when Zenitsu started to growl and thrash around, the hands in his hair jerking aggressively as he continued to roughly pull at the strands.

“Z-Zenitsu…?” Her voice, which was already barely a whisper, was blocked out by the reverberating boom of thunder. Zenitsu clawed his hands down his face, cutting into his flesh and the rope gagging his mouth, letting out a high pitched scream. Not a second later, an enormous bolt of lightning, a golden color so bright it could rival the sun, struck Zenitsu; blinding everyone in the vicinity. “Zenitsu?!” Tamayo shouted out, her dead eyes forcing themselves closed at the blinding light. She tried to run for Zenitsu, fearful of this mysterious lightning, but Yushiro was quick to grab her. “No, let go! I need to make sure he's okay! Yushiro, let go, please!” But he refused to listen, just as scared of what this lightning could do, not wanting his Teacher to get hurt by it.

The blinding light suddenly dissipated, revealing a smoking but otherwise perfectly fine Zenitsu. However, he wasn't the same. The air around him had changed to something scary and heavy. His form stood still for the longest time, only the subtle shifting of his back proving he was still breathing, still alive. He slowly raised his head to face Susamaru head in, his eyes were tightly shut but she could still feel his gaze boring into her. A small amount of fear sparked in the back of her mind. 

“Is your little show done?” Susamaru shook her head, she was being ridiculous, there was nothing to be scared of, not from an omega like him, at least. “I don't know what all that was, but it's not gonna save you!” She dropped the ball, using the tip of her foot to flick it up. “Let's play ball!” she kicked it right at him with a good amount of her strength, positive that the result would be just like last time. 

Much to her surprise, Zenitsu was able to kick the ball right back at her, aiming almost perfectly at her head. She jerked her top half to the side before it could hit, grabbing the ball with her middle arm. She felt the smack all throughout her body, the palm of her hand stinging almost pleasantly. 

“What the-?! That brat! I'll show him!” Dropping the ball again, she kicked it back even harder than before, only to have the omega fight back just as hard. They played this back and forth endlessly, each kick going harder and harder as both fought to win this childish game.

“That's it! No more Kemari!” she caught the ball the next time it was kicked to her, not pausing to throw it back, her intention to kill bleeding into the throw. “There's no way he can kick this one back! I gave it most of my strength!”  The ball smacked against Zenitsu’s shin, spinning in place and burning the skin, but his leg held fast, his muscles bulging as he fought against the pressure. With a deep growl he forced his leg ahead, kicking it straight at Susamaru with such speed she didn't even have time to think about reacting. The ball missed her head by an inch, instead deeply embedding itself into the brick wall behind her.

“H-huh…?” Susamaru stood, shocked. That small speck of fear bloomed into something fierce and animalistic. She felt like a mouse trapped in a dark corner as a cat slowly prowled towards her.

“Lady Tamayo, you didn't…?” Yushiro asked, just as shocked as the ball demon.

“No, that drug was just a recovery agent for demons, it shouldn't have had any effect on his strength, nor did it have any human blood in it.” She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she stared at Zenitsu, his weak and cowardly personality from before completely gone, leaving this more powerful version. “This is Zenitsu’s own strength, he’s growing even stronger on his own, without eating any human flesh.” She brought her hand up to her chin, biting the flesh of her index finger as her mind raced. “Was this because of the lightning? But how and why? Is there more than one thing his blood art can do? I thought the cloud was just a passive protector, but there's clearly more to it. And speaking of his blood art, to be able to manifest it without consuming a single human shouldn’t be impossible, he had to have an enormous amount of strength hidden in him already.” She bit down harder, the familiar, metallic taste of blood splashing on her tongue. “Zenitsu... just what are you?” 

“Hahahaha!” Susamaru’s cackling brought her out of her thoughts. “You’re quite interesting, Omega!” She had a Temari ball in each of her six hands, bulging veins and muscles covering every inch of them. “But I’ve had enough of this game, this time I'll be throwing the mari with all of my strength!!” She wasn't a scared little mouse! She was someone worthy of His attention! She’d prove it right here and now!

“Even though Zenitsu has acquired a lot of strength, I don't think he’ll be able to fight back if she uses all of hers… I need to act fast.” Tamayo stepped around Yushiro.

“Girl of the 12 Kizuki, tell me, do you know the truth about Kibutsuji?” She spoke loud and clear, her voice full with an alpha’s confidence that she wasn't sure she truly had. The effect was immediate as the other demon flinched.

“Wh-what would you know about that?! A runaway like you shouldn't know anything!”  

“That man, no, that coward, is always terrified of something, it's probably why he sent you instead of doing this himself. If something did go wrong and we somehow got the upper hand, he would be safe and sound. What's losing a couple lower demons compared to his-”

“BE QUIET, YOU WITCH!” Susamaru’s voice cracked as she screeched. “SHUT UP! STOP TALKING, RIGHT NOW!” 

“Tell me, do you know why demons are forbidden to group up?” Tamayo asked her instead.

Susamaru, fidgeting where she stood, was hesitant to answer. “Be-because we would attack and eat each other, duh…” She let out an awkward laugh. “Come on, everyone knows that… stop talking nonsense.”

“No, that's a lie he tells you in order to manipulate you. He's afraid that lower demons will start to team up and attack him.” She hardened her look, her dead eyes staring straight through Susamaru. “He's afraid of you!”  

“SHUT UP! Shutupshutupshutupshutup!!!!!” she started to howl desperately. “He's not weak!! His abilities are fearsome and far stronger than anyone else alive!! He’s stronger than the gods themselves!!” 

Yushiro peeked at his teacher, eyeing the red liquid that dripped down her wrist. “Oh! Tamayo-sama is using her ability! Ah she's so beautiful!!” 

Demon Blood Art: Magical Aroma of Daylight

“Kibutsuji-sama is-” Susamaru froze as soon as the name slipped from her mouth. Quickly slapping one of her hands to her mouth, she let out a strangled gasp. “What have I…”

“Magical Aroma of Daylight is a bit like a truth serum,” Tamayo started to explain,”It subdues brain function so that lying or keeping secrets becomes impossible.”

“N-no…” 

“I'm sorry, I truly pity you and I wish things could have been different, but I had no choice.” She gave the demon a pitiful look.”You spoke his name and activated the curse, you know what that means, yes?” 

“NO! I’m sorry!! I’m sorry! Please forgive me, it wasn't my fault, please!! I'm sorry, please!! Forgive me, forgive me!! plea-GYAAAHHH!!” 

Kaigaku made it back to where the others were just in time to witness a truly horrific scene, his sword dropping from his mouth as it fell open. Susamaru curled into herself as she let out a blood-curdling scream. She was trembling violently. Her body suddenly unfurled itself and with a crack, pop, and tear three monstrous arms broke their way out of her, two from her torso and one from her mouth. The arm coming from her mouth twitched once then flung itself onto her head, clutching it tightly. Its grip tightened and kept tightening until her head couldn't take the pressure anymore and exploded, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere. The other arms joined in, grabbing onto her arms and waist, every spot they could, and crushing it into a messy pulp. 

Everyone watched in horror, except Tamayo who turned away from the gory but familiar scene. By the time they were done, only some small bits of Susumaru and a puddle of blood remained. Tamayo walked towards her remains, feeling the need to cry to rise up, but her tear ducts having long since dried up.

“Is she dead?” Kaigaku asked. 

“Soon enough. This is part of the curse of Kibutsuji. Fighting between demons is meaningless, as only the sun or the katana of a demon slayer are the only ways to kill them, or so they say. However, there is a third way. As I told you before, his living cells are in every demon, not just to watch them but also to destroy them if need be. A failsafe, if you will.”

“Ah, you moron!” Yushiro scolded as he hopped to Kaigaku’s side, shoving a handkerchief against his mouth and nose. “You’ll die if you fall prey to her amazing power!” Kaigaku directed a low growl at him, but didn’t fight back. 

“Kaigaku, she’s not one of the 12 Kizuki…” 

“What?!” His scream was muffled against the fabric and Yushiro pulled his ear, warning to not open his mouth again. 

“There are numbers engraved into the eye of each one of them, but her eyes aren't marked.” She pointed to the eyeball near her foot. “Same goes for the other one, he was far too weak.”

“That guy was weak?! Bullshit, lady!!”  Tamayo took out a syringe from her kimono, stabbing it into what remained of Susamaru and extracting some blood.

“I'll take some of her blood anyway, as something is better than nothing right now.” 

“They were fools, they got what they deserved for threatening my alpha!” Yushiro spat out. “Ah, enough! You hold your own cloth! I don't wanna be away from Tamayo-sama any longer!!” he ran off after her as she returned to the husk that was once her clinic.

“Wha- hey, you're just gonna leave me here?! I’m crippled right now!!” Kaigaku cursed as he was left in the dirt. 

“Ma...ri… mar...i…” Kaigaku faced the disembodied voice of Sasumaru, her lone hand squirming as it searched for her ball. 

Finally making himself known again, Zenitsu walked to his brother, slipping one of his arms around his back as he picked him up, his other hand holding onto the last Temari ball left standing. Kaigaku eyed his baby brother. He felt wrong, felt... off. It reminded him of the one time he had caught the blond sleepwalking, how his eyes were closed in the throes of sleep, but he was able to answer back when talked to. But he wasn't the same, his voice was deeper, more monotone and serious, almost holding the tone of an alpha. He was asleep, but also not. Though he only met that sleepwalking Zenitsu once, it was enough to stick in his mind. What did he miss that led to this? 

Zenitsu walked them over the mess that was Susamaru, setting them both down near her lone arm. 

“Zenitsu…?” The blond slipped Kaigaku out of his arms, placing the mari into the slowly ashing arm. 

“Play… let’s play…?” Zenitsu looked at Kaigaku, his eyes slowly opening to show his once-sweet caramel-chocolate color. He gritted his teeth. Why did Zenitsu bother with pitying something that attacked him? Who had the intention of killing the useless and taking what they needed?! Didn't he understand they were trying to take him to his end?! 

Zenitsu’s cold but soft and comforting hand grabbed his, his eyes pleading desperately and Kaigaku sighed, knowing when a battle was lost.

“We can't play anymore tonight, the sun’s coming up and it's time for you to go to bed.” He spoke softly to the blood puddle, feeling Zenitsu’s hand tighten against his. 

“Then… tomorrow… let’s play tomor-” The voice abruptly stopped as she finally died. They sat and stared at her still remains, a feeling of sadness overcoming them as she started to ash away.

“Zenitsu, you should go inside with the other two, the sun is starting to rise and I don't want you to get hurt anymore than you already have. I'm going to sit here for a little longer…”  Zenitsu hummed back at him, squeezing his hand once more before standing up and making his way to Tamayo and Yushiro. 

 “She sounds like a child, but she killed a lot of people… I understand what Zenitsu was trying to say. She was manipulated into doing what she did to us, fooled into thinking she was someone important to her master, but does that excuse her action? And she did all of this for what? A master who killed her in the end? Just for muttering his name? And now there’s nothing left of her, is that the price you pay for taking a human life? Death without a single trace of your existence?” He stabbed his blade into the dirt, using it to raise himself back up. He didn't have an answer to any of these questions but he did know one thing. “Kibutsuji, you're nothing but a piece of garbage who treats everyone, even those who admire you, like a disposable pawn. You truly are a demon…”

With the sun making her appearance behind him, he trudged his way to the clinic, stepping over any rubble in his way. “Zenitsu? Tamayo?” he called into the empty space.

“Over here, Kaigaku!” came Tamayo’s muffled voice from behind a closed door. He opened it to a flight of stairs which he slowly climbed down, using his blade as a cane the whole way down. Reaching the end, he saw Tamayo sat on her knees with Zenitsu’s head on her lap, using it as a pillow. “My apologies, he inhaled some of my blood art, not to mention he must have used all the energy he had on the fight…as soon as we made it down here, he passed out.” She hesitantly pet his blond locks. ”I gave him another shot that should restore some energy, but it might take a few minutes to begin effect.” 

“I see.” He lowered himself onto the ground, splaying his legs out and ignoring the blinding pain that shot through him. “Give him to me, please.” 

“Please let Yushiro tend to your wounds first.” she said, still petting Zenitsu’s hair, her eyes soft, her body relaxing for the first time this night. Yushiro, who had been glaring daggers into Zenitsu, snapped back to attention at the mention of his name. With an annoyed huff, he moved towards him, Tamayo’s medical bag in his clutches. Kaigaku unbuttoned his uniform top, carefully rolling the fabric off of his torso so as not to irritate his broken ribs anymore than he already had. Yushiro quickly but expertly lathered his bruised chest with a balm, making his skin tingle as it got to work healing his bruising, then tightly wrapped gauze around his whole torso. 

As Kaigaku pulled his top back on, Yushiro moved to his broken leg, making quick work of the cloth his pant leg was tucked into. Rolling the black cloth up to his thigh, he exposed his discolored and bulging shin, the bone broken beneath the skin. 

“Here, bite on this.” Yushiro shoved the dirty white cloth that was wrapped on Kaigaku’s leg into his mouth. He didn't have enough energy to voice his complaint as the demon quickly pushed his bone into place, causing Kaigaku to let out a muffled, strangled scream. His back hit the ground and he smacked the ground with one of his fists as the pain was all at once and unbearable. “Keep your leg still!” 

Spitting the dirty cloth out, Kaigaku yelled back in a strained voice. “Maybe warn me next time?! The fuck is wrong with you?!” 

“Stop being such a baby, you should be used to this.” Yushiro snapped back as he started to splint his leg. “There, all done.” He twisted to look at Tamayo, silently begging for her praise, but was shocked to see her attention fully on the now-awake omega still resting his head on her lap. The goofy, lovey-dovey look he was sending her making him seethe where he sat. 

“Zenitsu.” Kaigaku called out, feeling the beta’s rage grow the longer he stared at them. “Come here.” Zenitsu’s eyes, overly bright once again, flicked to his brother, lips forming a pout at the thought of leaving the comforts of the beauty before him, but also needing to make sure his Nii-chan was okay. He got up and crawled to him carefully curling up into his side and hugging him close. 

Kaigaku hugged him back, finding solace in the gentle rhythm of his breath. He stuffed his nose into Zenitsu’s neck, wanting a good sniff of his scent, but choked on a gasp at what he found. His scent had changed. It was more pronounced now, but also starting to become the rotten scent of a demon.

“You noticed it too?” Tamayo's soft voice snapped him out of his slowly-rising misery. “I don't know what caused the change…” She bit her lip in concentration for a moment before giving up and sighing. “Your brother is quite the enigma.” she reached into her medical bag and pulled out another syringe. “As part of our agreement, I'm going to take some blood from him.” She made her way to them.

Zenitsu eyed the needle in her hands and scrambled to get up and away from her, but Kaigaku was quick to wrap his arms around him and hold him still. 

“Hold still, Zenitsu! This is for your future!” Kaigaku tried to keep his voice level, but Zenitsu’s squirming was starting to irritate his ribs. Yushiro aided his teacher by grabbing the omega’s arm and holding it still for her, his glee barely hidden as he took this as a form of revenge. 

Kaigaku’s heart squeezed painfully as Zenitsu started to click and cry at him, begging for help, but all he could offer was his shoulder for the omega to hide his face in and soft words of reassurance. 

“You’re doing great, Zenitsu,” Tamayo praised him as she plunged the needle into his arm. “Just a little more.” she pulled the plunger until the whole syringe was filled with his blood. “And there, all done!” She quickly pulled the needle out, using her thumb to rub the small wound it left in his skin until it healed all on its own. “You did very well, Zenitsu.” she cooed at him. However, he felt betrayed by her, snapped his arms back towards his body once it was let go, curling more into Kaigaku’s side as he sobbed softly. She frowned at the sudden cold behavior from him, fidgeting where she sat, as she didn't like the idea of him being upset with her. 

“Relax, he’ll get over it in a bit. He likes to be dramatic.” Kaigaku reassured her, rubbing Zenitsu’s back to try and calm him down. She hesitated before nodding her head. He knew Zenitsu best.

“Kaigaku, Yushiro and I will be leaving the city.” she said instead of trying to push any more comfort on the omega. “We came too close to Kibutsuji, if we don't hide ourselves soon, things will only get more dangerous.” She moved away from them to get all her intact medical supplies in order. “Besides, it'll only be a matter of time before the people find out about our true nature. The children and elderly are particularly sharp.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it back out. She turned back to the other alpha, giving him a very serious look as she asked her question. “Kaigaku, would you allow us to take Zenitsu?” 

“Excuse me…?” He froze in his spot, his soothing rubbing pausing as he digested her words. 

“I can't guarantee  absolute safety for him, but I believe it would be far less dangerous if he stayed hidd-”

“No.” All the life had left Kaigaku’s voice along with his eyes as he stared Tamayo down. His grip around Zenitsu tightened protectively, his own scent turning spicy with the anger simmering beneath his skin.

“Huh…?” Tamayo squeaked back, taken aback by his sudden change, an inkling of terror gripping her bones. 

“I said no.” He repeated himself more harshly, making Tamayo flinch. She held her hands up in surrender.

“Ah, of course it was just a suggestion-”

“It was a bad one, and I think it would do you good if you never tried to suggest it again.” Although his voice stayed leveled, a vicious venom was beginning to fill each word. “I don't know who you think you are, telling me what is or isn’t safe for my brother. We just met you, I don't even know if I can fully trust you, and you're asking me to just leave my brother with you?” His grip tightened even more around Zenitsu, making him whimper out in fear and pain. 

“Plus, what did you even do during the fight? Zenitsu and I did most of the work while you two sat around and watched, taking your sweet ass time in helping. If anyone is going to keep him safe it's definitely not you two. He needs me.”  However, the underlying words ‘I need him’, though left unsaid, was crystal clear to Tamayo. 

Her shock and fear slowly morphed into understanding as she assessed the situation more critically. “He’s scared…” She didn't know what exactly happened to him, but if Kibutsuji was involved, it must have been great and tragic. This lone omega might be his last thread of sanity, the last thing keeping him connected to life. 

Zenitsu, feeling scared and panicked, squirmed out of Kaigaku’s grip, grabbing his face between cold hands and forcing his head to face him. He gently clicked and growled at his brother, thumbs rubbing his cheeks to try and calm him down and bring him back from whatever space he was in. It worked almost instantly, as when Kaigaku’s eyes flicked towards him, all the life came back to them, along with regret. 

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean-” He grabbed Zenitsu’s hands, holding them closer to his face and sighing. “You did a lot to help us. I just-I don’t want to be separated from Zenitsu. It’s because of that separation that this even happened, if I was there with him I'm sure things would have turned out different.” But, as he calmed down, the more rational part of his mind reared up. Zenitsu going into hiding with her might be for the best, the beta might be an annoying brat, but he had an amazing blood art. 

“No, you're right he would probably be safer with you, it would be selfish of me to deny him this.  So far all I’ve brought him was pain…” He slammed his eyes shut to stop the bitter tears from leaking out. “Zen, do you want to-” He was cut off as Zenitsu pulled him into a crushing hug. “Zenitsu…?” 

Zenitsu hugged him tighter, clicking at him softly, and somehow Kaigaku knew what he was trying to say . “I want to stay with you.”

“It seems to me Zenitsu has already picked who he wants to stay with.” Tamayo smiled at them as Kaigaku hugged Zenitsu just as tight. “Very well, I'll respect your decision. However, before we depart, allow me to give you something.” She foraged through her medical bag and pulled out a bamboo muzzle. “He ripped his old one apart during the fight, so please allow me to give you another one. I often use this kind when apprehending newly-turned demons, if I happen to come across them. This one should be better than an old, raggy rope too; it won't hurt him.” She handed the gag to Kaigaku. 

“Thank you.'' His voice was just a whisper as he took the gift, and pulling away from Zenitsu, he quickly tied it around his mouth. “How does it feel?” Zenitsu gave a quiet hum as he brought his own hands up to rub the soft silk tied around his head. 

“Well then, I guess this is goodbye for now.” Tamayo helped Kaigaku stand back up. “We’ll be leaving as soon as the sun sets, but you and Zenitsu should go now, just in case.”

“Right, thank you again.” he said back to her. “Um, how will we keep in touch? Should I send a letter with my bird?” 

“Oh no, that won't be necessary, we’ll contact you when needed, and it would be for the best if the corps didn't know about us or our alliance.” She waved him off.

“Alright,” He turned to face Zenitsu. “Stay down here, I'm going to grab your basket, okay?” The blond hummed back at him before quickly turning away and running up to hug Tamayo. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed at the sudden affection. She fidgeted and looked at Kaigaku for help, but he just shook his head and climbed the stairs. With no other idea on what to do, she carefully placed her arms around him, hugging him back. 

‘You're dead.” Yushiro bit the inside of his cheek so hard it bled in order to stop himself from attacking the omega. Tamayo was his alpha! No one else should be allowed to hug her! “You're so dead!!”

Chapter Text

Tucking Zenitsu into the safety of his banged-up carrier, Kaigaku bid his last goodbyes to Tamayo and left the remains of her clinic. Phasing through the not-really-a-wall, he stretched his aching body and let out a huge, full-bodied yawn. He really wanted to stay another day and just rest, god knew his body could use it, but the chance of Muzan attacking them again once night fell was too great. So, with the heaving sigh of an extremely tired and overworked man, he limped his way to the main streets of Asakusa, only to race back into the messy maze of alleyways that connected the city as he had walked right into a police officer that recognized him from last night’s mess. Unfortunately for the cop, Kaigaku had spent a good portion of his life in these alleyways and knew them like the back of his hand, even after all these years. Unfortunately for Kaigaku, his leg was still broken, which made him significantly slower than he usually was, allowing the copper to keep pace, albeit poorly. 

His sad attempt at a sprint was interrupted as the cop got a loose hold on the kimono wrapped around Zenitsu’s basket. Gritting his teeth, Kaigaku spun on one foot and twisted his body to try and pry him off, his broken leg throbbing painfully as he did so. However, the cop stuck on, moving with the spin, gripping what was in his hand tighter and trying to pull Kaigaku onto the floor. With no other option, Kaigaku pulled his katana out of his belt, sheath and all, and jabbed the officer in the face with the buttcap, hard. The officer cursed loudly as the force of the hit broke his nose, and he instinctively let go of the fabric to cradle his bleeding wound. Not one to waste a good opportunity, Kaigaku raced off, quickly finding an alley that led to the forest surrounding the city. 

Throughout this whole ordeal, Zenitsu slept soundly in his little carrier, too exhausted to care about all the problems Kaigaku faced on a daily basis. He was unbothered even now as Kaigaku hopped over tree roots and scarcely saved himself from slipping in mud in his pursuit to escape the city and its inhabitants. 

When it became obvious the officer didn't care enough to chase him into the woods in order to arrest him, he slowed to a stop. He let out hitched, painful gasps for air, his broken ribs creaking with each one causing a sharp pain shooting up his spine. His leg wasn't doing any better, as even the tiniest amount of pressure made him seize up. He plopped down onto the damp earth, allowing himself a small break. He gently rubbed his broken leg, easing the constant throbbing and stinging pain, while also making sure the splint was still tightly in place.

“If you weren’t in danger of burning up in the sun I would make you carry me everywhere.” he spoke to a sleeping Zenitsu. “When this is all over I'm gonna make you take care of me like Jii-san forced us to do to him. I ain't gonna do SHIT.” He leaned back until he crushed the basket and was draped over Zenitsu, closing his eyes. He'd been awake for days now and if he didn't get some sleep soon he would probably die. 

“How long can a human stay awake for anyway?” he asked the air, letting out another yawn at the end of his sentence. “I feel like I never sleep. If I try hard enough do you think I could just surpass the need for it? Would make my life easier…” His head flopped backwards, the tips of his hair brushing the dirt, as sleep finally overcame him. 

It felt like only mere seconds had passed when a constant, dull prodding against his cheek awoke him. He tried to sit up, but between Zenitsu’s weight and his drowsiness made it near-impossible. He quickly gave up and just continued to lay there, willing away the growing poking and headache he had acquired. It was only when the pokes stopped and turned into a screeching right in his ear that he finally opened his eyes. 

“I know, I know!” he swatted at the blue jay, making it fly to a safer distance, still screeching. “Argh... You suuuuuuuuck…” he groaned out as he used Zenitsu to stretch, his legs scraping against the dirt as his spine cracked. Small whimpers emanated from the carrier below him and he felt a small hand punch him. He laid there for a little longer, just to fuck with Zenitsu, chuckling as his punches grew stronger. Deciding to have mercy, not to mention because the bird was still screaming at him, he got up and started his track out of the forest. Upon reaching a path to somewhere, the blue jay took it upon itself to guide the alpha to his next mission. It flew a couple of feet in front of him, letting out another squawk when he didn’t immediately follow; urging him to get moving. 

The sun was close to the horizon by this point, showing Kaigaku he had slept for most of the day. He wasted too much time. Although his leg was still killing him, he ignored it in order to get as far away from Asakusa as he could before night fell. His light jog bounced the carrier on his back, making the still awake and cranky Zenitsu even more so, his complaining growls growing louder with each bounce. That was the only thing keeping Kaigaku going when his leg begged him to stop.

He didn't stop until the sun had set and rose again, her glorious light warming his body and drying the sweat marring his skin. He paused his jog to take quick, shallow gulps of air, resting his full weight on his left leg in an attempt to ease the throbbing in his right. If he didn't get a real rest soon it would never heal correctly. After catching his breath he continued, this time in a slow limp. He patted his stomach as a barely noticeable pang of hunger made itself known through all the other aches and pains. Lamenting that he wasn’t able to buy any more street food before his journey, he threw his head back and groaned. He promised that next time he had the chance he'd buy enough to fill Zenitsu’s basket and then some. Living with Jigoro had spoiled him, having food in his belly everyday made his body forget how to ignore the gnawing hunger he had to endure during his days on the street. 

During his lamentation, a sharp finger dug into his back, making him finally lower his head and cease cursing the gods. Before he could question the omega, a lump on the ground not too far in the distance caught his attention. Curiosity urged him to walk a bit faster, hoping the lump was a lost pack that he could…borrow...from. However, as he rounded nearer, his excitement died down; instead of a pack he could have ransacked, it was a person lying prone in the dirt. A black crow flew in circles around them like a buzzard calling its prey, only flying off when Kaigaku got too close. He stopped as soon as he reached them just to make sure they were alive. Their breathing, though so subtle it could almost be counted as still, told him they were, so he quickly disregarded them and moved on. However, before he could even take a step a sharp finger poked his back again.

“What? I checked! They're still alive.” Still, the poking persisted, so with a great sigh he looked down at the prone body near his feet. It was a young boy, around Zenitsu’s age if his boyish features were anything to go by. His short, burgundy hair was greasy, caked in dirt and curled in ways that defied gravity. He had a pair of hanafuda earrings on, one of them laying across his face and stabbing him in the eye. His haori had a black and green checked pattern on it, blanketing his small body and mostly hiding the demon slayer uniform underneath. His scent was a heavy but pleasant mix of cinnamon and burnt cherry wood, alpha in nature. 

“Hey, wake up.” he called out, bored, lightly prodding the teen with his foot. All he got in return was a low, pained groan. “I said wake up!” He kicked the other slayer this time, right in the ribs, smirking at the gasp of air the other took as his body instinctively curled in on itself to shield from any more attacks. When none came, he slowly opened an eye, the shade a deep burgundy like his hair.

“Wha…” he croaked out, disoriented.

“See, I told you he’s alive.” Kaigaku said to the air, confusing the other teen even more.

“Of course I'm alive…” the younger alpha sat up onto his knees, one hand cradling his bruised chest while the other raked through his messy hair, one half staying slicked back while random loose strands sprang back against his forehead. He eyed Kaigaku up and down slowly, the cogs in his head still warming up from his sudden awakening. 

“Well, good, I'm leaving now.” 

“Wait!!” the pup suddenly yelled out, his exhaustion and pain easily forgotten. “You're a demon slayer, right?!” He grabbed a hold of Kaigaku’s pants to stop him. “Wait, please I have a question to ask you, please!” 

Kaigaku turned back to him, giving him his full attention and finally noticing the gnarly, jagged scar across his forehead. What also became apparent was just how unkempt this kid really was. He looked like he had gotten dressed in the dark with one hand tied to his ankle. His under and overshirt were tucked messily into his pants, the overshirt only having the bottom button done. His entire self was covered in some kind of nasty grime too, the scent of filth hidden beneath the layer of his natural one. The kid stuffed his hand into the inside of his disheveled uniform and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, taking extra care to unfold it.

“Have you seen this girl?” he asked, holding the paper up for Kaigaku to see. What was drawn on it couldn't even be called human, let alone a girl. Her head was about five times too big with lopsided eyes that took up almost all of her face, a nose so tiny he didn't even notice it at first and a wobbly smile. Her torso was too thin and too long and ended with legs way too small as there was no more room on the paper to fit them properly. She didn't have any arms as her hair, which he had to guess was long and black, took up the rest of the space on the paper, swallowing them up.

“Ya’ know… can't say I have…” The kid pulled the paper away, looking at the terrible scribbling and growling at it. He crumpled it back up and tucked it back into his uniform jacket before standing up to his full height. 

“Her name is Kamado Nezuko! She's 14 years old, a beta, and my little sister!! She’s about...” he paused and held his hand up to the top of his head “...this tall. She has really long black hair that ends in orange-ish tips, it's usually kept in a neat bun!” He slid his hand to his eyes and pointed at them. “She has big, curious, pink eyes with long lashes! And a gentle smile that could calm any child down almost instantly!” He then gestured to his body. “She wears a pink kimono with a spider web design on it, and a black haori over it.” Once his explanation was finished, he looked expectantly at Kaigaku.

“Hmm, no, I haven't seen anyone like that, sorry.” The kid’s whole body deflated.

“Are you sure? No one at all that even looked a little bit like that?” he pressed, his voice desperate. 

“Nope, how long has she been missing?” At that he paused, face scrunching up in a flurry of different emotions before falling flat with a sigh.

“About two years ago. My whole family was… they were attacked and killed by a demon while I was out of the house.” He paused again and took a deep breath. “She was the only one who was missing.” His voice was strained, trying so hard to keep it together, barely holding the tears at bay while bringing up the tragic memory. 

“Sorry about your family, but I would give up looking for your sister. She’s long gone, most likely ea-” 

“You're wrong! She’s still alive, I know she is!” the kid interrupted aggressively, baring his fangs  and snapping them at the other alpha. “I checked all around the mountain I live on and I wasn't able to find any trace of her! Even her scent! And I'll have you know my sense of smell is greater than a bear’s!” Kaigaku stepped back at the sudden outburst, irritation flooding his body as this puppy challenged him. He stomped into the kid’s space, baring his own, longer fangs at him as he challenged him back.

“Now listen here you fuck.” A loud, powerful growl vibrated deep within his chest. “I’m just trying to help you! You have no proof she’s alive, it’s been two fucking years! Just give up now before you drive yourself up a fucking wall!” 

“I know that! I know! But I can’t!” He paused, breath quickening as tears started to stream down his face. “I just can't believe it unless I know for sure! I can't give up! My whole family was killed while I was away! They were hurt because I wasn't there for them,” He hiccuped as more tears fell, his hands coming up to aggressively wipe them away, but they just kept coming. “It’s my fault they're dead…” 

Kaigaku stared at this small, defeated pup and felt like a complete asshole. He understood that feeling more than anyone and yet here he was, yelling and challenging the poor kid. He rubbed the back on his neck awkwardly, not even minding the deep jabs Zenitsu was stabbing into his back, so hard his nail almost pieced the fabric of his uniform. 

“Come on kid, don't cry…”  He hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. However, he continued to cry, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve roughly as he tried to will them away. It was a pathetic sight, so with a quiet sigh Kaigaku said “Look, alright, you might be right. It's small, but there is a possibility she could have escaped. Maybe the demon caught her and while it was taking her to its hideout she could have broken free from it and ran away.” At that, the younger alpha shot his head up and looked Kaigaku in the eyes, his own brimming with surprise.

“Ye-yeah! That's what I was thinking!” He smiled at Kaigaku, his tears finally drying as hope bloomed in his chest once again. To Kaigaku’s surprise he bent his body into a perfect right angle as he loudly shouted his apology. “I'm sorry for challenging you before! I let my emotions get the best of me!” Kaigaku just waved him off, used to doing the same thing.

“It’s whatever,” before he could continue, his blue jay landed on his head and chirped at him, reminding him of his mission. “Right, well now that you're okay I'm leaving.” he promptly turned on his heel and started walking away.

“Oh, wait!” The kid called out and chased after him. “I have to go this way, too! So I'll join you!” He beamed brightly at Kaigaku and he felt a spark of worry deep within his belly. “I’m Kamado Tanjirou! Nice to meet you…?” He held out his hand. 

Kaigaku stared at the offending appendage, then shoved his own hands into the pockets of his pants. Tanjirou promptly dropped his arm, but his smile never wavered. 

“Right! Can I at least know your name?” he asked.

“Why do you want to know?” Kaigaku challenged back. He didn't want to be friends with him,  bad enough he had to associate himself with the pup for as long as he already had. Not to mention he was breaking the law, and getting close to other corps members would only add to his chances of getting caught.

“Because we’re comrades! I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I'm one for always forgiving and forgetting!” His voice was unbearably cheery and Kaigaku almost wished for that crying, defeated mess to come back. At least that one didn't grate on his ears. 

“Uh huh.” he deadpanned. A heavy, awkward silence blanketed them as Kaigaku continued to refuse to give out his name. If his leg wasn’t broken he would have left him in the dust already. The bird on his head suddenly chirped, sounding exasperated.

“Oh, so your name is Kaigaku?” Tanjirou asked, causing Kaigaku to stumble and stare at him in shock for guessing his name so easily. 

“How did you…” 

“Oh, Azura told me!” He pointed to his blue jay. “She's a lovely bird by the way! How did you get her to follow and sit on you like that?” Kaigaku was still reeling at the fact that this kid had just said a bird told him his name. How the fuck did he know what the thing said? 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He squinted his eyes at him. 

“Hm? Oh! I can speak to most animals!” Tanjirou nonchalantly explained as he held his hand up for her to land one. She did so easily and peeped sweetly at him as he rubbed the small feathers on her chest. “Oh you're a Kasugaiarasu? Wow, that's amazing!” 

“Oh god, he's a freak of nature, or insane.” Kaigaku tore his gaze from the bizarre scene going on next to him, quickening his pace to try and escape this lunatic. 

“So what happened to your sleeve, Kaigaku-san?” Tanjirou kept pace easily enough, not bothered by the now speedy walk they had adopted. 

Kaigaku eyed his bare arm, completely forgetting that his whole sleeve was missing. “Take a guess.” 

“A demon? Wow! It must have been strong to do that! The uniforms are really hard to tear! How long have you been a slayer?” Kaigaku ignored him, his only response a low growl he did subconsciously. “Well, you seem older than me so it has to have been a while! What breathing form do you use? I’m a Water Breath user myself! I actually just started my career as a slayer, heh.” he chuckled shyly. Another awkward pause passed by them as Kaigaku still refused to acknowledge his existence. The longer it lasted, the heavier it got, and Tanjirou sighed as he gradually accepted that fact Kaigaku probably wasn't going to talk to him. In that time, Tanjirou found himself looking at the basket on the other’s back. Since he had calmed down, he kept catching a weird scent from it, something faint but still overly-sweet, almost sickening. “What’s in the ba-”

A loud, rumbling emanated from Kaigaku’s stomach, cutting the other off. 

“Oh! Are you hungry?” Tanjirou placed Azura on Kaigaku’s carrier, deciding his other questions could wait until later. He reached into his uniform jacket and pulled out a package; inside was a simple rice ball. “I have an onigiri saved! You can have it!” He shoved it towards Kaigaku.

“No thanks.” he said back, face flushing in embarrassment. God knew he could use it, but he wasn’t going to give this pup any leverage into thinking that Kaigaku liked him in any capacity.

“I insist!” As he finished speaking his own stomach let out a loud, complaining growl.

“Seems like you need it more than me.” 

“I’m fine!” he insisted, his smile big and blinding as he shoved the onigiri closer to Kaigaku. 

“I don't want it.”

“Don't be stubborn! It's not good to leave your stomach empty!”

“Then you eat it.” Tanjirou’s smile finally twitched downwards, along with his thin eyebrows, but they both shot back up as an idea popped into his head. He took the rice ball back and carefully tore it into two halves, handing the bigger half to Kaigaku. 

“How about we share it?” As Kaigaku was about to refuse, this time with more hostility, his stomach growled again, the pangs of hunger getting more pronounced.

“Fine.” He ripped it out of Tanjirou’s calloused hands and shoved the whole thing in his mouth, already feeling better. Tanjirou ate his own more slowly, smiling in triumph from winning the fight, his alpha pride bleeding into it just a bit. 

By the time Tanjirou finished his meager meal, they reached a surprisingly well-kept house in the middle of the forest. It stood menacingly, casting a dark, foreboding shadow over them. .

“I can smell a lot of blood… and something else…” Tanjirou’s cheery personality was pushed aside as they both stared at the house. “I've never smelt this before, I don't know what it is…” Zenitsu squirmed in his basket, the movement pushing Azura off, and she flew to the top of Tanjirou's head. He had turned his head to look at his new friend when he caught sight of two small pups, a boy and a girl, standing near the forest line, holding each other and trembling. He didn't waste a second getting to them, kneeling on the ground to be at their eye-level. 

“Hey,” His voice was soft and soothing. “What are you two doing in a place like this? Are you all alone?” However, they continued to stare past him, terrified eyes focused solely on the house. 

“They’re really scared…”  His thoughts were getting more distraught as the thick scent of fear filled his sensitive nose.

“Oh, watch this!” He grabbed Azura off of his head, holding her in both palms. “Ta-da! It's a tame blue jay!” She took her cue and started to sing her birdsong, hopping in a circle on his palms in a makeshift dance. “Cute, right?”  Suddenly the children fell to their knees, tears rising in their eyes and spilling down their cheeks, still chubby with baby fat. Tanjirou reached out a hand, soothingly rubbing the boy’s shoulder and asked “Is this your house? Did something happen?”

“N-no!” the boy spoke, voice watery. “This is the house of… of a mon-monster!!” Kaigaku strolled towards them, standing above Tanjirou’s shoulder. “It took our older brother!” His sister squeezed herself closer to him, rubbing her tears off on his blue kimono.

“When?” Kaigaku asked, his own rough voice smoothing out to not scare them anymore.

“Last night, we were having a night walk and a huge monster showed up and snatched our brother! It didn't even look at us, it just went for him…” 

“And it brought him here?” 

“Uh-huh…” The pup nodded slowly.

“And you two followed them here? That was really brave of you two, I'm impressed!” Tanjirou easily praised them, patting them both on the head.

“He was hurt!” he sniffled loudly. “We followed his trail of blood…” He hugged his sister closer, more tears spilling over. 

“Don't worry! My friend and I will beat that monster up and save your brother!” Tanjirou flashed a huge, confident smile that had both children look up at him, their eyes sparkling with hope.

“Their brother is already dead…” Kaigaku kept that thought to himself, not wanting them to start bawling again. Zenitsu started squirming again, this time more violently. Kaigaku patted the bottom of the basket to try and calm him down. When that didn't work, he walked away from the others, moving closer to the house to get some privacy so he could speak to his brother. Before he could get a word out, a man jumped from the open window on the second floor, landing heavily on the ground and splattering blood all over.

“Don't look!” Tanjirou yelled as he grabbed both pups before they got a good look at the gore. 

“Hey!” Kaigaku jogged to him and knelt down next to him, taking an assessment of the amount of wounds he had, all deep and heavily bleeding. 

The man coughed up some blood before speaking a croaky voice. ”I got out…! I-I mad-ugh- made it ou-utside! But…” He coughed up more blood, his eyes growing fuzzy and unfocused as death moved in closer. “Is-is this wha-what it feels li-like... to die…? I'm about to…” with that last exhale, his body ceased to function. 

“Is he dead…?” Tanjirou popped up next to Kaigaku, looking down at the man sorrowfully.

“Yeah, with how deep and plentiful his wounds were, I'm surprised he even had the strength to make it outside.” A deep, reverberating roar escaped the house along with the heavy pounding of what seemed to be a Tsuzumi drum.

“Uh… that, that's not our brother…'' The boy spoke up as soon as the drumming stopped, holding his sister in a way that wouldn’t let her sneak any peeks at the corpse. “Our brother is wearing an orange kimono.”

“So there are several victims.” Kaigaku mused out loud as he stared at the front door. “Right, we’ve wasted enough time, I'm going in.”

“Kaigaku-san wait!” Tanjirou grabbed his shirt before he could even take a step. “What about them?” he pointed to the children.

“What about them? They'll be fine out here.” Kaigaku gave him an annoyed look and shook his hand off. 

“I don't feel right leaving them alone, what if something happens?” 

“Then you can stay here and watch them, I have a fucking job to do.” Tanjirou’s face scrunched up like he drank spoiled milk. He looked back and forth between the children and Kaigaku, specifically his broken leg.

“It seems like there’s a really strong demon in there. I can't let you go alone…”

“What, you think I'm weak? Fuck you, I’ve fought plenty of strong demons.” He snapped his teeth at the younger alpha. “You're just a puppy, still wet behind the ears! I've been in this game for years already!!” 

“Puppy?! I'm not that young! And no!! I would never say or think that! I know you're way stronger than me! I just think working in numbers is always better!” He yelled, trying his best not to snap back.

“Then just follow me inside! Why are you making this such a fucking issue?!” Kaigaku snapped at him again, his scent growing so strong even the beta children could clearly smell it. 

“Because I'm worried about the pups! What if something happens to them?!” Tanjirou finally snapped his teeth back, the other’s scent affecting him greatly. They crowded each other, growling and snapping their teeth in a fight for dominance, a real fight about to break out. 

It was Zenitsu’s muffled crying that stopped Kaigaku from tearing the kid a new one. Instead, he yelled between clenched teeth, his hands shooting up and gripping his hair tightly as he stomped over to them. Even though he was beyond pissed, he placed Zenitsu down with the utmost of care in front of the brats.

“Listen here, stay near this basket, if anything fucking happens it will protect you, alright? You fucking got that?” They stared at the carrier, curious and terrified, only giving Kaigaku a quick nod when he growled at them. He stomped his way past Tanjirou and into the house, feeling murderous and needing an outlet. “Are you fucking coming or not, forehead?!” he yelled out when Tanjirou didn’t follow him in. The redhead gave the kids one more fleeting glance, eyeing the basket worriedly, then ran after Kaigaku. 

“I can’t fucking stand you! You've been a nuisance since I crossed you!!” Kaigaku complained as he paced ahead of Tanjirou, the other shrinking into himself.

“I’m not trying to be difficult! But they're just terrified pups! It didn't sit right with me to leave them all alone!” 

“Its the middle of the fucking day! Who would attack them? Another person?! Like hell!” He turned towards the younger alpha, trembling with rage. Tanjirou shrunk more into himself as Kaigaku’s angry scent overpowered him, making him want to bare his neck in submission. 

“I don't understand why you're so mad about this!”

“I’m mad because you wasted my fucking time! There are other victims in case you forgot, like their fucking brother! If he wasn't dead before, he definitely is now!” He shoved Tanjirou away from him, making him stumble. “I’m mad because you seem to always find and push all my fucking buttons and make me mad! I'm mad because I had to-” He never got to finish his retort as the two kids from outside ran right to them, both grabbing at Tanjirou’s haori. 

“Woah! Hey, what are you two doing here?” he asked, trying to conceal how grateful he was that they interrupted what was going to be a brawl.

“The basket!” the young boy started, “It was making weird noises!” 

“It-it sounded like crying…!” the girl finished, hiding her face in Tanjirou’s haori. He patted her hair, minding the carefully-placed pigtails.

“Oh hey! Its o-”

“What the fuck!?” Kaigaku yelled out as he pushed Tanjirou to the side and grabbed the young boy by the upper arm. “I fucking told you two to stay near it!” he shook the boy violently, causing him to start crying harder in fear-filled confusion. 

“They left him out there all alone, all alone in the daytime. Anyone could walk by and open it up and he’d burn up in the sun! Someone could take him home with them and start freaking out when they notice a demon’s inside!! We're going to get caught by the corps!!!”  Kaigaku’s thoughts raced a mile a minute as scenario after scenario that ended in Zenitsu’s death popped into his head.

“S-stop! You’re hurting me!” the boy cried out, a tiny hand grabbing at Kaigaku’s to try and pull him off, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Good! It’s what you deserve!” he yelled back, no longer able to contain the rising need to hurt something.

“Kaigaku-san! Stop it! He's just a scared pup!” Tanjirou joined the mix, trying to pry Kaigaku’s death grip off of the little boy, but it was proving to be difficult, as the other alpha really was stronger than him. 

“You shut the fuck up!” Kaigaku pulled the kid away from Tanjirou. “That basket means more to me than anything else on this fucking planet, you cunt! I’ll kill everyone in this room and then myself if anything fucking happens to him!” 

“Him?” Tanjirou paused and stared, confused at the other. “What are you-” 

“Listen here, you snotty brat!” Kaigaku grabbed the pup by both arms now, lifting him up a bit so they were face-to-face and shook him. “Your sister is important to you, right? How would you fucking feel if I left her all alone in this fucking house where at any second a demon could come out and kill her? Angry, right? Terrified, right?” He shook the kid harder as he just continued to cry.

“Kaigaku, please! Stop! He’s just a puppy! He doesn't understand!” Getting angry himself, Tanjirou tried once again to pry the older alpha off. “I understand you're upset, but you have no right to hurt him like this! Stop it or I will use force!” Kaigaku kicked Tanjirou off and dragged the young beta into the other room on the left side of the hallway, holding him hostage. The younger girl had curled into herself, her small hands covering her ears, her tearful eyes pressed against her knees.  

“I thought I told you to shut the fuck up! You don't understand shit! That’s my fucking baby-” the loud booming of a drum echoed all throughout the house, stopping any more yelling. 

“What’s that…?” Tanjirou asked as he looked up to the ceiling. When he looked back down to ask Kaigaku, the open door and room that had been there turned into a solid wooden wall. “Kaigaku-san!” he slammed his hands against the wood, the sound it made dense. “Where did you go?! Kaigaku-san, can you hear me?!” he yelled out.

“Noooo! He's gone too!! S-shoichi-niiiii!!!” the younger girl cried out as she fell to her knees, utter despair painting her face a deathly-pale white. “He’s stuck with another monster!!!!!!!” she cried out helplessly.

“Hey hey, no, it’s ok! Kaigaku isn’t a monster!” Tanjirou crouched down near her, gathering her up in his arms and letting her wipe her tears and snot into his clothes. “He's just in a bad mood, but I can promise you he will protect Shoichi and bring him and your other brother back to you!”

“R-really?” she looked at him with watery eyes and a trembling frown.

“Really!” he wiped the rest of her tears away with his sleeve. “My name is Tanjirou by the way! What's yours?” 

“Teruko…” 

“Oh, wow! What a lovely name!” He pinched her cheek lightly. “We should get moving, we need to try and find the others. Can you stand?” She shook her head, her knees still weak from fear. “That's okay! I'll carry you!” He turned around so his back was facing her, urging her to hop on. She did, though hesitantly. Once Tanjirou had a secure grip on her, he jumped up and sniffed the air, trying to find any kind of scent to follow. The only strand he was able to find was neither Kaigaku’s ozone and meadowsweet nor Shoichi’s sterile soap, it was more damp and earthy. Still, it was better than nothing, so making sure Teruko was tucked safely against him, he left to follow it. 

Chapter Text

Silence. 

Nothing but that suffocating, all-encompassing quiet filled that awful place. Even with his pounding footsteps that got harder and louder with each step. Even with the little girl’s occasional sniffle or whimper. Even with the known fact that there was a demon taking residence within those walls with who knows how many victims trapped inside, who should be screaming or crying or anything . All Tanjirou heard was silence.  

And he absolutely hated it. The quiet was something he never had to deal with before his family… before they... 

With a family as big as his, there was always going to be some noise, no matter the time of day. Whether it was Shigeru and Hanako’s fighting or Rokuta’s crying followed quickly by Nezuko’s sweet coos or Takeo’s quiet mumbling as their mother doted on him. There was always some kind of sound. But now there was nothing. With nothing surrounding him, his mind tried to fill it with something. Thoughts of what was his, thoughts of what could have been if he just went home that night, thoughts of his future all alone. 

It was in this silence that he could almost pretend that the weight against his back was Rokuta and not a pup he just met today and will probably never see again once his mission was over. They were about the same size and weight; even her soft sniffles sounded like his. They reminded him of the way Rokuta cried every time he had to leave to sell charcoal or when he had a nightmare. He could almost picture his small, chubby hands clumsily grabbing at him, his round baby face scrunched up as he hiccuped and sobbed, begging Tanjirou to hug him and make everything better. 

“How old are you, Teruko?!” he screamed out the question, unintentionally scaring the pup on his back, cringing at his own tactlessness he muttered out a soft apology. 

“Um… I’m five...” she whispered into his nape, afraid to speak too loudly and alert any nearby monsters. They were almost the same age too, Teruko being only a year older. 

“Oh, wow! You're almost a big girl huh?” He wasn't screaming anymore but he still spoke too loudly for her comfort. “And so brave too! Your big brothers are lucky to have you!” She hummed back at him, not in any mood for conversation, but he didn't let that stop him from babbling about every little thing he could think of. Even if she did try and shush him, he barely lowered his voice, needing the silence to go away. And if his rambling brought a demon towards him, well, he certainly wouldn't complain. 

“You know that basket Kaigaku-san has? I wonder what's inside? It smelled really sweet, so maybe it's a bunch of candy? But for some reason I don't think it's food, especially with the way he acted when he had to depart from it, and when you two abandoned it, it must be something really important!” he paused as he thought of the scent again. “You know, there was another scent there too, a faint, rotten smell, like some of the food went bad… Now that I think about it, it kind of reminds me...” his musings suddenly died down as he lifted up his head and scented the air. That earthy scent from before suddenly spiked up, leaving him a trail to follow to something different, something new. Without warning to Teruko, he sprinted off down the hallway, deaf to her startled yelp. It took a few minutes of running, which felt like hours to him, until he reached where the scent was most concentrated. Skidding to a stop in front of the first door he'd seen since their forced departure with Kaigaku, he didn't waste a second in pulling it open.

“Hello! My name is Kamado Tanjirou and I'm a demon slayer! Are you alright? Were you captured too?” A boy around his age, who smelled like freshly dug-up earth and an animal that had been wet for way too long, stood with his back towards them, his breathing slow and smooth, unbothered by Tanjirou’s sudden entry. “Uh… hello?” He tried again to get his attention.

Suddenly the boy’s body twisted unnaturally, his legs staying where they sat, but his upper half contorting itself to look right at them with the beady, dead-eyed stare of two bulging blue eyes. What at first Tanjirou thought was just gray, matted hair was actually the fur to the boar mask the boy wore over his head, the snout puffing up as he blew air from the nostrils. 

Tanjirou and Teruko stood frozen, having a stare off with the half-human half-boar before them. Just as the silence was becoming too much the boar-man cackled gleefully and manically twisted his lower half to be facing the same direction as the upper. The cackling grew louder and more wild as he jumped onto one the walls surrounding them then quickly to the ceiling before leaping through the open door right behind Tanjirou and running off to who knows where, crazed laughter echoing behind him. They both stared down the hallway the boar ran through, unsure on how to feel about this encounter. 

“Well!! That sure was… something!!” Tanjirou chuckled nervously, trying to defuse the tense air around them.

“No more….” the pup on his back cried out in a small, trembling voice, her form shaking against him. “I can't take this anymore!!!” Next was a wail as her shaking turned into thrashing. Each kick of her legs or twist of her body was accompanied with a desperate cry for it all to stop. 

“Teruko! Hey, calm down, it's okay! Don't be scared!” He tried to reassure her as he stumbled around, his arms going tighter around her legs to keep her from falling off and hurting herself. 

“Liar! Liar!” Her random flailing soon turned into earnest kicks against him, her crying of ‘liar’ echoing loudly through the house. Tanjirou gritted his teeth, not only in pain, as each kick she gave him landed her heels right into his stomach, but also in annoyance. All of these setbacks he had had today, from his stupid, petty fights with Kaigaku to getting lost in these hallways to meeting that weirdo and now this, had stopped him from his real mission of finding Nezuko. He didn't have the time to entertain all these side quests, not when he didn't know how or where Nezuko was. The thought of somehow being too late to help her weighed heavily on his mind, making him grit his teeth hard enough to break. 

At this moment all Tanjirou wanted to do was drop Teruko onto the floor and leave her there to cry alone while he finished offing whatever demons he came across. However, Tanjirou wasn't that kind of person; didn't want to be that kind of person, and as much as he wanted to take his frustrations out, doing so on a little girl who did nothing wrong was not the way to do it. So, with a heavy sigh and a guilty conscience he squatted down and gently placed her onto the floor. Once she was off his back he stood straight up, took in a few deep breaths and semi-forced a friendly smile onto his face before turning around to face Teruko.

And the sight that greeted him broke his heart. She was curled up into the tiniest ball against the wall, her little hands pressed against her eyes as she sobbed loudly.

“I can't take this anymore…” All the fight from before left her body, leaving a scared and tired puppy in its wake. “I wanna go home! I miss my mama!!” She tucked into herself even more. “I-I told Shoichi-nii that we should have gone back and grabbed papa! But he wouldn't listen and now we're all separated and I'm all alone!!” The guilt that was rooted in his heart for having such thoughts before grew tenfold as he watched her wail and beg for her parents. He cursed at himself for even getting frustrated at her in the first place, his once seemingly-endless patience apparently leaving him when his family did. 

With a more genuine smile he knelt down to her level, he pumped out a comforting scent to calm her down, even though she was a beta and would barely be affected by it.

“Teruko? Can you look at me?” He spoke with a quiet, soft voice, his callous hands grabbing onto her softer ones, gently pulling them away from her eyes. Albeit hesitantly, she opened her eyes and stared at Tanjirou’s, though he doubted she could actually see him through the waterfall of tears cascading down her face. “Hey, you're not alone. I'm here, remember? And I promised I would protect you and get you back to your brothers.” He rubbed his thumbs against her knuckles. “I know this is all so scary, especially for a puppy like you, but you have nothing to fear while I'm here! And I'm positive Kaigaku-san is doing the same with Shoichi.” Letting go of one of her hands, he used his thumb to wipe some of the tears off of her face. “You’ve been acting so brave, your family would be so proud to see how well you're doing.” She hiccuped at his words.

“I need you to be brave for a little while longer, okay? Just until we find a way out or Kaigaku-san and the others. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?” she slowly nodded her head at him, grabbing the hand that was holding her cheek with both of her own and rubbing against it. “That's a good girl!” he praised, running his thumb against her cheek once more before pulling away, much to her disappointment. 

He raised his hands up to his face, curling his fingers to resemble claws. “Now, show me your brave face!” He curled his lips up into a playful snarl and made a small growl at her. He used to do this all the time when any of his younger siblings got scared of some boogeyman hiding in the dark. It always led to a midnight wrestle that would wake their mother up and cause her to scold them. The memory made the back of his throat burn with heavy emotion, but he swallowed it back down in order to focus fully on the puppy in front of him. There was no point in getting lost in the past. 

Teruko hesitantly held her hands up in the same manner as he did, letting out a quiet growl of her own.

“Come on! I know you can do better than that!” he let out another playful growl, curling his fingers down more. She followed suit, letting out a louder one which he echoed until they were both growling loudly towards each other. Teruko’s tears had long since dried up. “There you go! No monster would want to face off against such a scary growl like that!” he patted her head as he praised her, happy to hear her giggling instead of sobbing. Just as he was helping her off the ground, the scent of mud riddled with filth rushed through his senses.

“Heh, heh” a voice croaked behind them, “Children! What a tasty meal I've stumbled upon!” Tanjirou spun around to face the demon crawling out from around a corner, all four of his eyes landing on them. His tongue, which was impossibly long, shot out to lick his lips almost as if he could taste them through the air. Teruko yelped and fell back down to the ground as her knees suddenly gave up, all the false bravado she had built up leaving her in an instant. 

However, Tanjirou felt no fear, already running towards the demon while pulling his sword out of its sheath. “Water Breathing First Form! Water Surface Slash!” he yelled out, quickly slicing his head off with a sharp current of water that encased his blade. The demon's eyes widened as his head was easily cut off, choking on his words as he landed with a dull thud on the ground near his body, growing numb as he ashed up and drifted away.

“And that's that! Okay Teruko, let’s go!” Tanjirou turned back to her as he went to sheath his blade, the vibrant colors of a rainbow shining brightly even in the darkness of the halls. Stunned, she wordlessly nodded at him and grabbed the offered hand to stand back up. “Now that he's dead we should have no trouble finding the others! See, I told you I would protect you! A man never breaks his promises!” He rambled on as they throttled down the halls again, unaffected by the whole encounter. 

Just as she was finally gathering her bearings, the heavy bangs of a drum rang through the house once more and suddenly the floor beneath her vanished. Tanjirou yelled out her name as his hand tightened around her, pulling her into a protective embrace as they started to fall down the hallway they were just walking down. The house had flipped on them, front and back suddenly becoming up and down, her and Tanjirou falling fast with no stop in sight. Tanjirou held onto her tight, somehow maneuvering them so his back was facing wherever they were falling to. As he tried to think of a way to stop their free-fall he was blinded by the bright light of the sun, fresh, cool air whipping around them. 

“Outside! We made it back out!”  He was only able to enjoy freedom for a second as the back of his head smashed painfully into the ground. Then everything went black. 

~~~~~~~~~~

He was lost. 

He was usually too proud to ever admit to such a failure, but after three days of running around this hell hole he had to come clean and face the facts...

“Ugh! Fuck thaaaaaat!!” he howled as he slashed at one of the walls keeping him contained like a trapped rabbit. “I ain't no bunny!!!!!” He hacked and slashed at the wood with his dual serrated blades, splinters flying everywhere as he made a hole for himself to escape through. Beyond his man-made hole was yet another hallway that looked just like every other one he'd already been in. With a strangled scream, he hopped into it and started sprinting down this new area, swinging his swords all around him in a fit of delirium from hunger, thirst and frustration. How was he supposed to kill the damn demon if he couldn't even find them?! “Fuckin’ cowards!!” His screeching reached the heavens as he tried yet again to hack his way through the den, yelling and howling the entire time. 

It was at this moment he almost wished he’d escaped this place when he had the chance, having found a way out a few times during his hunt. Not like he was quitting or anything! Just a simple retreat to get some grub and a drink and then he'd be back and ready for a fight! But the thought of someone coming to steal his kill or being seen as a pussy kept him inside, turning away from the light and staying trapped in the dark. He was a great predator for goodness sake! The best hunter in the damn world! King of the Forest and all of its inhabitants!!! And yet!!!!!!!!! The demon was still alive!!! Somehow able to evade him at every turn, no matter how hard and fast he ran, all because of this ever-changing den. 

He ran and ran, skidding down corners, waving his blades to slash at the walls, not only to keep track of where he'd been but to take out his pent-up anger. However, his track was cut short as he slammed into a dead end, the hall suddenly ending after a turn, him not having enough time to brake. He stumbled onto his ass, dropping his swords and feeling a dull pain in his snout from the impact. He stared up at the offending wall, feeling his frustrations boil over until he couldn't hold out any longer. He jumped up from his spot on the floor, holding both fist up as he sized the wall up and got into fighting position. In a fit, he smashed his clenched fist into the wood, growling and screeching through gritted teeth as he punched dent after dent into it, until his whole body grew numb from the pain and his exhaustion once again caught up with him. He dropped his front legs, blood dripping from his knuckles and onto the floor as he huffed pant after pant. Yet he wasn't done, wasn't satisfied in the least. He grabbed his blades, raising them both over his head then crashing them against the wall until the obstacle was gone, leading him to a small and empty room. He snarled at the room, stepping through the hole and into it, feeling that the floor here was more plush than the others. 

“This is so stupid, stupid stupid stupid…” he mumbled to himself, too tired to scream anymore as he got a good look at the room. Boring and stupid like the rest of the den, the only thing of interest being the door on the opposite side of his man-made one. He turned to have his back facing the door and stabbed his blades into the soft floor before clapping his hooves together and closing his eyes. His breathing calmed down to almost a standstill as he felt the air around him, his skin trembling and tingling as each pore opened and each piece of fur stood on end, leaving him wide open to feel.  

“Breath of the Beast: Total Awareness.”  

He hated using this, as it seemed like cheating, a thing weaklings do when they know they’re losing but don’t want to accept it. Not to mention his skin tended to feel sore and tender for a while afterwards, but he was tired! And how would he even be able to ever find his prey when he couldn't use any of his other hunting techniques! So it was fine! He was not weak! He’d just be using his tools to his advantage! 

Total Awareness allowed him to feel all around him in a certain radius; it worked better outside as the wind and openness allowed his skin to breathe easier, but doing it inside was no problem for a great and powerful King like him! So, as his body calmed down and opened itself up, he felt all that was around him: a weak spot was outside the door, hiding in a dark spot, its aura pulsing weakly. However, he was most concerned about the two spots racing towards him. He couldn't feel any intent to kill coming from them though, so he moved on, searching and searching for the strongest beast he could sense. He pinpointed its location along with two more spots just as the door behind him slammed open and a loud voice bounced around the room. His eyebrows twitched in irritation as it distracted him, making his sense of touch fuzzy, almost losing the biggest hotspot. But he held strong, able to map out a way to his prey. 

He felt a laugh bubble up in his chest as he finally found the way to his prey, but first he had to deal with the voice behind him. Turning only the top half of his body in an intimidating way he eyed the tanuki and kit on his back, his eyes rolling down his body landing on the blade strapped to his waist. He didn't feel anything malicious and even if he did he could tell they were weak, far too weak for him to care about, so with an even louder cackle he grabbed his blades and hopped onto the wall, then the ceiling before hopping past them and into the hall to get his reward. 

His laugh was high pitched and manic as he traced the map he made in his head, sprinting low and fast as adrenaline and excitement coursed through his veins. 

Two paper doors stood before him and he didn't waste time trying to pull them open, crossing his front legs to protect his face he blasted through the weak paper and wood.

“COMIN’ THROUGH COMIN’ THROUGH!!” he howled as he landed on the floor getting into position to fight. He quickly looked at what surrounded him, to his left was a black fox, he could feel his deep-seated anger rolling off him in heavy waves and felt the tiniest bit intimidated, to his right was another kit, but in front of him was the real prize. His prey! He waved his blades to face downwards and crossed his front legs as he declared “Alright, you damn monster! It's time for you to die in an amazing battle of strength! I want to rise through the ranks faster than any animal below me! And you're my stepping stone to that goal!!” He jerked his front legs to his side and ran towards his prey, quick as lightning, strong as a boulder! 

“Aggravating…” his prey murmured, raising a hand up to his shoulder. “So aggravating!” he slapped his hand against the drum that was there causing the room to twist, making him lose his momentum and stumble.

“Ah!” the kit yelled out as he slammed into the floor.

“Kid, hold on to the furniture! They don't move!” The fox sounded annoyed but he could feel the worry cutting through his anger.

“ So he's the one controlling the den!” He thought as he jumped into the air. “ The floor is useless to me… then…”  He slammed his foot into the fox, his front leg coming up just in time to stop him from kicking him in the snout, and used him to propel himself towards his prey. 

“Hey, asshole! Watch where you're going!!” the fox yelled at him, trying to distract him and steal his prey no doubt! But he wouldn't let some weak fox stop him! He was the strongest beast in the forest! He was allowed to do as he pleased as long as he was stronger! And he was the strongest!!

“Tiny pests infesting my house!” the demon raised his hand up again, getting ready to smack his drum “So aggravating!” The resounding boom rang in his ears and the room spun once again, causing them all to lose balance, the kit landing in the middle of the room. 

As his momentum was suddenly stopped by the spinning, he landed on the kit, his foot digging into his back, but he didn't care. It was what he got for being so weak. 

“HAHAHAHA!” he cackled maniacally, staring his prey down. “The room spins and spins!!” He raised his front legs up. “How fun, how fun!!!”  Just as he was going to try and pounce on the demon once more, a sudden dark and angry aura passed him, making him freeze like a deer caught in the sight of a predator. He was only able to turn his head towards the killing intent before he felt a clawed paw stab itself into his leg and throw him like he was some… some weak, tiny mouse!

“The fuck is wrong with you!!” the fox yelled at him as he landed graceful on his two feet. 

“... And you are…?” 

“Wha- who I am doesn't matter! Who are you to go around stepping on people! Especially puppies!” The fox grabbed the kit off the ground, pushing him behind his back protectively. He stared at them for a moment longer then laughed out loudly and boisterously. 

“You're right! Who we are doesn't matter!!” He spread his legs and bent his waist downwards as he readied his blades. “Nice throwing move!! No one else has been able to do that before!” With his piece said, he raced towards the fox. The fox pushed the kit out of the way as he dodged his incoming attacks. “Hehe, you best do good and dodge everything I throw at you, Fox!” He raised one of his blades up. “My swords bring pain! Unlike your blade for piglets!” He slashed downwards, watching as the fox dodged him yet again, but he wasn’t upset as his blade tore through the floor messily. “I'm proud of their cutting edge that rips and tears!! Hehehehe!!” 

“Stop! Fucking! Attacking me!!!” the fox yowled. “There's a demon right fucking there! Attack that!” One of his black paws grasped around the handle of his blade. 

“What do I care about some demon?!” He swiped at the fox again, cackling when he grazed his arm. “Not when I have another prey in my sights…” he went to attack again when the barely-there aura of the demon flared up.

“Pests! Insects! Die! Get out!” The demon slammed the palm of his hand against the drum embedded into his stomach, his killing intent surging through him, causing him to jump out of the way of the invisible claws that cut clean through the floor.

“Woah!! Nice, nice!!” he laughed, feeling all the fatigue and frustrations from before gone, replaced with overwhelming joy. The demon didn't let up though, smacking drum after drum and making the room spin in every which way causing him to feel dizzy and giddy. Just as he felt like throwing up, a different beat rang through his head, then a dull pain as his body crashed into something hard. Jumping up onto his feet, still disoriented from the spinning, he frantically looked at his surroundings.

“Fuck!!” he growled through gritted teeth. “Just when I had him I lost him again!” He growled out again at the thought of being lost here for another three days, and then snarled when the thought of the fox getting away with throwing him and probably stealing his prey! “LAME!” He looked at the hall he was in, debating which way to go. His gut told him left and his gut was never wrong! So, with all his might and anger he ran fast, thinking of ways to get back at the demon and the fox. He was so distracted by his thoughts of revenge that he almost missed the killing intent seeping through the wood, only catching himself when a big, chubby hand reached out from behind a turn, trying to grab his head. He quickly jerked his upper half backwards, backflipping himself away from the arm and demon it was attached to.  

“Ohho! You dodged.'' The demon was covered messily in blood, his body fat from gorging himself on as much meat as possible. “What a lively human you are! A splendid treat for me!” 

“I’m not a human, stupid! Whatever that is!” he let out a puff of air through his snout, feeling the rush of the chase coursing through him as he ran towards his newest prey. “Hehe, the bigger the target the more rewarding it is to bring them down!!” The demon raised his fat arms up to try and catch him as he raced towards him, but he was faster! He easily tore through both arms, splattering blood along the boring walls and giving them the bit of vibrant color they were lacking. 

“Die!! Be a stepping stone to my goal of becoming the best!!” He crossed his front legs across his neck, the smooth part of his blades tapping against him with each bounce in his step. 

Breath of the Beast, Third Fang: Devour

He jumped up to the demon's height, uncrossing his front legs and cutting the demon's head off with both of his serrated blades, cackling gleefully as he kicked his big, fat body down, the thud it made loud and vibrating. He bounced on his stomach one more time and used it to propel himself, finally feeling satisfaction deep in his stomach.

“Comin’ through comin’ through!!” He ran and ran and ran, feeling bubbly and giddy. Wanting more of this feeling, he followed his gut as it led him through the house, a destination already set. A door stood at the end of the long hallway, leading to his next fight, he was sure! Bending down, he slammed the top of his head against it hard enough to dislodge it, grinning as it landed heavily on the dirty ground. He stood up straight, grinning wider and more crazily as the aura of a demon emanated from a worn out basket by the trees. “HAHAHA! I sense a demon!”  

“Ah! It's you!” he snapped his head to the annoying voice of the tanuki from before. “I'm glad you made it out okay! Did you happen to see anyone else on your way out?” 

He turned away from the tanuki, his gaze fully focused on the demon in the basket. Giggling drunkenly at his luck of finding another demon so soon after another, he ran towards it, lifting a blade up to hack through the basket.

“STOP!” And yet he was stopped when the tanuki blocked it from his attack. “I won't let you! This basket is really important to Kaigaku-san!” 

“Huh?! Are you stupid?! There's a demon in there!” 

“I know!! I know...” the tanuki bit his lip, staring at the dirt while his eyebrows furrowed. “I don't know why he's carrying a demon around with him, but I'm planning to ask him!” With resolve taking hold of his aura, the tanuki looked back at him with a fiery glare. “So until I get my answer you need to back off!” 

“You talk tough but you didn't even raise your katana at me!” he raised his hand, driving the butt of the handle of his blade into the other's cheeks, causing him to flop to the ground. With the annoying tanuki out of the way, he went for the kill with his other blade, only to feel paws grab onto his leg and toss him to the side like he was some tiny, weak mouse. “Ha! You're the second animal to throw me today!” Bouncing himself off the ground, he raced to the tanuki and kicked him in the gut. “But throwing me won't stop me! If you're serious, fight!” he kicked him again, harder, and watched gleefully as he groaned out in pain. Turning away from the weakling, he went to attack the demon when he was grabbed and thrown again! Getting up, he watched as the tanuki wrapped himself tightly around the basket, making the sides fold into themselves.

“What? You think that's going to stop me?!” He stomped his foot into the tanuki’s head, again and again and again. Until his nose was bleeding, until his eyes were black and swollen, until his teeth shook loose and yet he held on. Protecting a demon of all things! “Dammit! Draw your swords and fight! It's not fun if you just take-'' his voice stopped abruptly as a killing intent stronger than he ever felt before crashed into him like a bear. 

Both him and the tanuki looked up to the busted-open space, finding the black fox with two kits behind him. 

“Kaigaku-san!” the tanuki shouted in relief “Don't worry! I protected it for you!” He smiled softly at the fox, teeth stained with blood. “Because Kaigaku-san said that this basket was more important to him than his own life! So I made sure it was safe!” 

He had only felt fear a handful of times in his entire life, he was King of the Forest for crying out loud, kings don't fear anything. But in this moment, as the black fox’s turquoise eyes bore through him, he didn't feel like a king. He felt like a tiny piglet who had lost his mother, all alone as bigger, hungry beasts watched him from the darkness. 

In this moment he wanted nothing more than to run and hide.

Chapter Text

Kaigaku stood staring at a wall that he knew wasn't there before, his yells dying in his throat as he spun around to take in his new surroundings. The room he found himself in was as sparse as it could get, with only a minuscule amount of furniture along the walls. Forehead and the little girl were nowhere to be seen.   

“We moved…” He murmured, dropping the pup from his bruising grip to freely walk around the space. “We moved in beat with the drum…” he rapped his knuckle along the wooden wall that used to be an open door to a hallway, the sound it made solid.

“What are you talking about?” the pup asked, rubbing the sore skin of his upper arms while glaring hatefully at Kaigaku. 

“Tch, it's the demon’s blood-” He was interrupted by a heavy and dense thumping. Pounding footsteps echoed from down the hallway on the opposite side of the room, each one having a heavy pause between them, making the air more tense with each step as whatever it was moved in closer. It wasn't long before a huge, ugly foot stepped into view, the tension rising to its peak when those long and overly-sharp toenails tapped against the floorboards. The pup tried to gasp out a scream, but Kaigaku quickly slapped his hand against his mouth before the sound could escape. 

“Shit.” Unfortunately he couldn't stop himself from muttering out in shock. He was so preoccupied with his anger that he forgot there was a very dangerous demon in this house. Another two steps and the demon, who towered over them with his large and foreboding figure, was in sight. Kaigaku closed his grip harder around the pup’s mouth when he felt another gasp of terror trying to slip out. Not that he could blame him, as the demon’s form was grotesque, with many drums that protruded out of his skin, the places they were connected veiny and bulging, almost seeming infected. There was a drum attached to each thigh and shoulder, one on his stomach and a bleeding, empty hole in his back where one must have been until something ripped it out. 

When the demon did nothing more but stand there menacingly, Kaigaku used the fleeting peace to whisper to the pup. “Quietly, but as quickly as you can, I want you to go and hide behind one of the dressers along the wall.” He stared the pup down as he slowly let go of his face and continued to watch him as he made his way to the wall. While he made sure the pup got to a relatively safe spot, he pulled his blade out of its sheath.

“Why?! Why do all these pests keep sneaking into MY house?!” the words were forced through gritted teeth, making them sound all the more irritated. “That bastard!! Those bastards!!” In the midst of the demon’s bitching, Kaigaku moved into position for his fifth form, his movements smooth and quiet. Without a single sound escaping him he flash-stepped towards the beast, jumping into the air at the last second. “Just when I found a child with marechi blood…” 

Right as Kaigaku was in his face, his blade aiming right for his neck, the demon finally moved. His hand sprung up to the drum on right shoulder, slapping it boredly; making it sing a deafening tune. The sudden booming in his ears threw him off balance, but not enough to cause his body to wildly twist and turn as it was now. Confused and with his attack thwarted, Kaigaku had no choice but to land gracelessly onto the floor. However, he wasn't deterred, as when he landed he bent his legs into a squat so he could jump right into another attack. However, even though he could feel the solid floor beneath his feet, the tatami mats stood right in front of his face. 

“The mats are on the wall?!” he snapped his head to the demon, who stood sideways outside the room, his back facing them. He looked slowly around the room, eyes widening as he started to understand the situation they were in. “Stupid! We didn't move! The rooms did! He must have control over the whole house! God dammit!!”  He growled at himself for not noticing earlier how the room he was in turned once to the right. With a renewed anger he stood back up, careful and unsteady, choosing to not let this setback ruin his chance to finish this quickly. He got back into form, having to maneuver himself a little so he could face the demon in an angle that allowed him to slash right through him. He sucked up as much air as his lungs could hold, broken ribs poking at his overfilled lungs, and tightened his grip on his blade.

“COMIN’ THROUGH, COMIN’ THROUGH!!” someone screamed out, surprising Kaigaku and ruining his stance, the electric tension that had been drenching the room breaking. Following the yell, a person with a boar’s head crashed through the wall behind them wildly swinging two serrated katanas. 

“What.” Kaigaku arms dropped as he stared at the intruder, unsure on what to make of him. His scent told him he was at least human, a very weird, smelly one, but human nonetheless.

“Alright, you damn monster! It's time for you to die in an amazing battle of strength! I want to rise through the ranks faster than any animal below me! And you're my stepping stone to that goal!!” he yelled out as he crossed and pointed his arms and blades downwards. With his war cry declared, he let out a puff of air from his snout, the steam curling around his head before dissipating into the cold air, and leapt at the demon.

“Aggravating…” the monster hissed out, clawed hands clenching and unclenching at his side. “So aggravating!” In a quick snap of muscle he slapped his meaty hand against one of his shoulder drums, causing the room to spin to the left this time. The rotation happened too fast for Kaigaku or the pup to brace themselves, instead ending up face planting into the ground. Kaigaku let out a groan as he sat on his knees, rubbing his nose; checking if it was bleeding. 

“Kid, hold on to the furniture! They don't move!” He only had enough time to yell out his warning before the boar’s foot came rushing at him. His arm sprang up to block it on pure instinct alone, saving him from an actual broken nose. 

“Hey, asshole!” he screeched at the boar who dared to use him as a stepping stone. “Watch where you’re going!!” but he was ultimately ignored as the other was too focused on his prey. 

“Unwanted, tiny pests infesting my house!” another resounding boom rang out and the room spun once again, causing them all to lose balance. The pup, not having enough time to grab onto anything, landed in the middle of the newly-appointed floor with a yelp. Without missing a beat the pig landed painfully onto him, his heel ramming into his back. 

“HAHAHAHA!” The boar cackled like a maniac, not moving off of the pup and digging his foot into him harder. “The room spins and spins!!” He raised his blades up, laughing harder and swaying just a bit. “How fun, how fun!!!” 

Having enough of this weirdo’s antics, Kaigaku forced himself up, snapping forward and grabbed the pig by his leg. He threw him as hard as he could against the wall, feeling disappointment as he was able to twist himself in midair, landing safely on his two feet.

“The fuck is wrong with you?!” 

“...” The boar gave him a stupid look, the dead, beady eyes of his mask staring right through him. “And you are…?” he had the gall to ask. 

“Wha- who I am doesn't matter! Who are you to go around stepping on people?! Especially puppies!” While scolding the wild-child he picked the pup off the floor and pushed him protectively behind him. He understood how much of a hypocrite he sounded like right now, as not two seconds ago he had no problem with injuring a puppy. However, he couldn't stop his protective alpha instincts from flaring up anyway, needing to keep this child, his or not, from harm's way.

“You're right! Who we are doesn't matter!!” The boar laughed out loud, head bent upwards as he did so, but quickly his entire upper half snapped downwards, body bent in a right angle as his arms splayed behind him, poised for attack. “Nice throwing move!! No one else has been able to do that before!” Having enough talk, he raced towards Kaigaku. 

Without a second to think, Kaigaku pushed the kid in one direction while he dodged the other way. “What is he doing?!” He quickly turned back to face him. 

“Hehe, you best do good and dodge everything I throw at you, Fox!” He raised one of his blades up. “My swords bring pain! Unlike your blade for piglets!” He slashed down on him yet again but he was prepared and without baggage, dodging more cleanly. His eyes widened, as the spot where he stood was torn up messily. “I'm proud of their cutting edge that rips and tears!! Hehehehe!!” 

The boar leaped at him again, slashing his blades in a manner that had no thought behind it. “Why is he attacking me?! He's a slayer too, is he not?!”

“Stop! Fucking! Attacking me!!!” he yowled. “There’s a demon right fucking there! Attack that!” quickly he rolled away from another slash aimed to kill. He tightened his grip on the handle of his blade, getting into position to start his own attack. He really didn't want to have to maim a human, but if push came to shove he wouldn't hesitate. He'd hurt others for less before. 

“What do I care about some demon?!” He swiped at him, cackling when his attack finally hit and grazed his bare arm as he didn’t dodge away fast enough. “Not when I have another prey in my sights…” 

“Pests! Insects! Die! Get out!” Having enough of being ignored, the demon slammed his hand against the drum embedded into his stomach. Kaigaku and the boar had only a second to dive out of the way as something invisible clawed into the spot they once stood, leaving three deep marks.

“Woah!! Nice, nice!!” Kaigaku glared hard at the pig as he laughed, like this was fun . Without missing a beat, the demon played his drums in a random, aggressive rhythm, making the room rotate in every direction imaginable, leaving no chance for anyone to catch themselves. Kaigaku only barely managed to catch the pup before he smashed his face into a wall, pulling him into a protective hold against his chest and taking the brunt of each hit. Amidst all the chaos, a different drumming vibrated through the walls, the sound more dense than the other ones on the demon's body. Everything stopped, and in the blink of an eye Kaigaku, the pup and the boar vanished.

With the intruders gone from his sight, the demon could do nothing more but growl under his breath. He walked away from the room, making his way to a different part of the house he had yet to explore. The hole in his back ached and seized as the stale air and dust tickled the exposed meat. It reminded him of what it felt like to fail, to prove yet again to those that pushed him down and stepped on him that he was nothing. His blank, blood-red eyes, which he kept rolled up, watered and twitched before rolling forward without his command. His left eye had a huge X-shaped cut embedded into it, never healing, never scaring, always bleeding and stinging since that day. 

He ate and ate and ate and ate. Just as he was told to do. Just as he was expected to do. But it hurt, his stomach couldn't hold anymore meat, yet he kept digging his teeth into the arm before him, ripping off and chewing a big chunk. Swallowing it seemed like a mistake, the last bit he took before crawling up his throat, but he forced it all down, wanting to cry as he tried to take another mouthful.

“Kyogai…” a voice, cold and missing the life a normal person should have, spoke out from the dark opening in front of him. His master, the one he’s forbidden to name, slid out from the ink, head pointed downwards so his hat blocked his face. “Why are you looking so thin?” He asked in a way that didn't make it seem like a question at all. “Lost your appetite.” This one didn't even bother to try, spelled out like the statement he made it to be. He was scared, so, so scared of those dead words, of this thing in front of him.

“No! No, no! I can eat!” he cried and cried, going in for another bite that he didn't think he could force down. But a pain, so hot and so sharp, stopped him. He dropped his barely-eaten meal and raised both hands to his face, feeling the cold blood drip down from his eye, his prized left eye. A strangled scream involuntarily made its way out of his throat. No! Nonononononononononono- “P-please!! Please, I just need a little more time!”

“I’ve given you enough time.” he moved in closer, the words falling from his blue lips detached from life. “You showed me what you had to offer,” The cuts on his eye grew deeper, more cold blood oozing out and dripping down his face like tears. His claws dug into the floor, slicing it through like warm butter, as teeth sharper than any human or animal gritted and cracked, trying desperately to hold back another anguished cry. “And it wasn't enough. You've lost your place.” And just like he came, he vanished, abandoning him in his lonely domain. He wanted to cry.

He was once recognized as one of the twelve Kizuki. As long as he ate and grew stronger, he had nothing to fear, he would never become his old self again. The more he ate, the stronger he would get. The stronger he got the more he proved his worth. The more he proved his worth the more blood, which tasted like a finely-aged wine, his Lord would grant him. He truly believed that, more than anything else. 

Growling more loudly while scratching the wound on his back, Kyogai continued to walk, his determination renewed along with his despair and anger. He wasn't going to sit still and be thrown away, he was going to show his Lord he wasn't a waste of time.

~~~~~~~~~~

With his vision still blurred from the dizziness, it took Kaigaku a second to realize the rooms had moved once again. 

“I saw him hit every drum before and none of them did this…” His mind was still swimming, trying to piece itself back together, so thinking hurt, but he had no other choice as trying to move seemed more painful. “ He did have a hole on his back though, could it be that something took that one and was using it itself?” 

Once he didn't feel like throwing up, he let go of the trembling kid and stood up. They were in another bare room, smaller than the last. Walking to the closed shoji door he slammed it open and looked both ways. A rotting carcass laid to his right near a dead end and nothing but an empty, dimly light hallway was to his left. 

“Alright, come here kid.” he called out to him, grabbing his shoulders once he was close enough and directed him towards the left, making sure he couldn’t get a glimpse of the corpse. As they walked, Kaigaku paused to open any door they came across, all either leading to an empty room, another hallway or sometimes just a wall. He grew more and more agitated with every door that opened to nowhere, a growl escaping from the depths of his stomach. He reached the last door this hall had to offer, grabbing the handle and slamming it open harder than he originally intended. 

It opened to a hall of rooms, all the doors wide open to show off how long it was, in the middle sat another kid, a little younger than Kaigaku. He wore an orange kimono and had a tsuzumi drum held snugly against his side. He flinched at their sudden entrance, panic draining his face of color. His body reacted on instinct, ready to hit the instrument and activate whatever power it held.

“Kiyoshi-nii!” The pup behind him cried out in relief, pushing Kaigaku out of the way and running to the other boy. Recognizing his younger brother he forced his hand to a stop just before it hit the drum. 

“Shoichi!!” He opened his arms and caught his younger brother in a tight embrace, both crying as they held one another and called each other's name. Kaigaku watched them passively, trying hard and failing to not think about Zenitsu and how he wished for nothing more than to have him back into the safety of his arms. He could only imagine how hard he must be crying right now. The thought made his blood boil.

“Uhm… who are you?” the older boy asked.

“Kaigaku, I'm here to kill the demon.” His reply was snappy, making him flinch at his cruel tone of voice. He stalked closer to the two betas, noticing the older one had an injury, luckily it wasn't bad. “I need you to tell me what happened until now.” He crossed his arms and waited. 

“A-a monster kidnapped me, he was going to… to eat me. But then another one showed up and then another and they started fighting about who got to eat me.” Kiyoshi trembled, his arms wrapping around the pup tighter. “One of them,” he started back up again after a short while, voice cracking in fear as he started to tear up. “He had a Tsuzumi drum on his back and when one of the others hit him it fell off so I grabbed it!” he stopped again, swallowing the build up of saliva in his mouth. “When I hit the drum the rooms changed, that's how I've been surviving.”

“The demon said something about Marechi blood, do you know what that means?” Kaigaku asked, a bit annoyed with how slow the beta was speaking.

“Yes! He called me that!” 

“But do you know what it means?” he asked again, which prompted him to shake his head. “It means ‘one who has rare blood.‘'' he started to explain, finally squatting down to their level, uncrossing his arms as he did so. “All humans have different blood and some have a kind that that demons really really like, makes them really strong or something.” Being a slayer for as long as he had been, he had met many people, a few having the same kind of blood as this terrified kid in front of him, though learning about them had been a hassle and a half with the language barrier between him and his bird. Useless thing. 

“That's why he attacked us?” Kiyoshi’s voice was barely a whisper.

“I mean I'm sure he would have attacked you either way, but I think that's why they started fighting, they all wanted to eat a feast like you.” Standing back up, Kaigaku walked to the door, peeking out to the hallway. “The demon will probably come this way eventually, and when he does I'm going to leave the room. I want you to hit the drum and leave.” Turning back, he gave them a pointed look. “From then on I want you to keep doing what you did before until I come find you and rescue you. I'll say your names before I come in.” A pause. “What are your names…?”

“...I'm Kiyoshi and this is my little brother Shoichi…” 

“Right, okay, I'll make sure to remember them.” The time ticked by slowly, painfully. Kaigaku stood guard by the door, his nose raised up as he scented the air for any sign of the ink and decay that stuck to the demon, but his mind was elsewhere. As each second passed, he couldn’t get Zenitsu off his mind. Was he okay? Did someone pass by and take him? Did they open the case and scream as the person inside started to burn? Would they be kind enough to cover him back up or just run and leave him to die? How was he going to face Zenitsu after this? They said they were going to stay together, he promised to protect him so he never got hurt again. But here they were now, separated, not knowing how the other was doing, or if they were even still alive. His heart was beating irregularly and sweat was sticking to the back of his neck as worry, anger, frustration and fear all melded together, clashing horribly with the pain from his barely-healed wounds. His broken leg throbbed in harmony with his unsteady breathing, both shallow and yet too deep. This place of non-action, of calm before the storm was the worst part of everything as it allowed him to think. He wasn't supposed to think, thinking led to problems and he didn't have the time to waste on problems, his plate was already overflowing with them. But every time he was left alone he couldn't stop the thoughts, and as time grew on and on they became worse, more muddled with his insecurities than he wanted to admit. He needed to hurt something, anything at this moment, the demon, himself, that big-foreheaded alpha, the two betas shivering and sniveling behind him. Just anything to distract himself from thinking. 

Ink, pungent and repulsive, flared in his senses, kicking his mind and body into gear better than any drug ever could.  

“He’s here, I'm going to leave the room. Once I'm fully out, hit the drum.” He stared at them until the older one nodded and grabbed the drum, holding it tightly against his side. One foot out the door, he took in a breath, held it for as long as his lungs could take and then let it out. He willed his heart to calm down, to beat in time with his breathing and will it to work naturally and smoothly. Electricity, noisy and hot filled his being, starting from the tips of his toes and up until his wild, black hair stuck up. The demon turned the corner, peeking through one of the many open doors to the many rooms that lead to them. 

“Now!” he screamed as he used his foot to propel himself out of the room and at the beast, the echoes of the drum playing behind him.

“Bugs!” He growled out. “Hateful insects!!” He smacked the drum on his stomach with the same amount of anger that laced his voice. Kaigaku barely had enough time to bend himself backwards as those invisible claws struck at him, a sharp wind passing by his face to indicate how close he was to death. He quickly straightened himself out, the demon just outside the room, now standing upside down. He barely had enough time to gather his bearings as the drum on his stomach was hit again. Kaigaku ducked down, again feeling that breeze pass by him and reminding him how unprepared he actually was for this fight, unable to see where those claws were until it was almost too late. This time he wasn't allowed any reprieve as a song of hatred and malicious intent drowned out any other sound in the room. The room spun in every way, sometimes even aborting a spin to abruptly go in another direction. His beaten body was jostled around, hitting each surface bodily with no room to breathe, let alone coordinate an attack. In between each rotation the claws would return to try and slash him to pieces, only the nonstop momentum and luck keeping him out of their path. 

With each smack into a wall his body seethed in unimaginable pain, his wounds barely healed from his last fight. His broken bones grinded against one another, zapping any strength he could muster, which wasn't much to begin with. And since he had no real way to predict when the claws would come at him, he was too afraid to try and get closer to the demon. 

“I'm so dizzy, even if the room stopped spinning I don't think I'd be able to stand straight. And if I can't move quick enough I won't be able to dodge his attack and I’ll…” The image of him getting sliced into large, messy pieces crossed his mind, causing a whole new shudder to run down his body. “And if that happens, what will happen to Zenitsu? He'd be all alone with no one to keep him company or stop him for attacking a person, he’ll eventually be hunted down and killed-”

“Stop letting nonsensical thoughts cloud your mind.” A gruff voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts as a memory pushed itself to the forefront of his mind, clouding over and covering reality. 

Jigoro sat on a stone a few feet away from where Kaigaku was training, the dummy he was meant to slice through still in one piece. Having almost mastered the other forms of his technique, he only had the first form to learn, yet each attempt failed, the lightning beneath his skin always too weak, his grip steadily loosening as he worked himself to the bone. The curt scolding cut through his concentration, losing whatever power he had mustered up. 

“What are you talking about?” he growled back, frustrated and disappointed with himself. All the other forms came to him so naturally, so why was arguably the easiest one so hard for him to even attempt, let alone master?

“I mean what I mean, you’re thinking too much about things that don't matter and distracting yourself.” his Master continued, getting up from his spot to poke at him with his cane. Kaigaku rolled his eyes at him. “Don't sass me, boy! Listen.” He pointed his cane to the thunder storm rumbling in the distance, making a steady pace towards them. A crack of bright lightning ripped through the sky, followed quickly by a clap of thunder. Jigoro thought working while a storm was passing by would help him connect to his form more, to feel the electricity in the air more clearly, but all it really amounted to was him getting caught off guard by the noise. “You saw where the lightning hit?”  

He nodded his head and rolled his eyes again, already growing bored of this lecture. 

“Do you think it thought about whether it could hit that spot before it stuck? No, of course not, it's lightning. It doesn’t think, it just does. Quickly and without warning it strikes down on whatever was in its path.” He pointed to the sky again as another bolt came down, beautiful and terrifying all at once. “That's the real power in Thunder Breathing, it's sudden and powerful.” 

They stood there and watched the storm come closer, the time between bolts of lightning and claps of thunder growing shorter as it grew in power. “A busy mind causes inner conflict which leads to careless mistakes and doubt, of course you shouldn’t have a completely empty mind either, just enough room for basic instincts and loose plans that can be changed on the spot.” Jigoro finished, patting Kaigaku on the shoulder and giving him a big grin. “Don't think about if you can or can't do something, don't think about failure or repercussions. Just go at it with the best of your ability, that's enough to become a better slayer- a better person.” They turned back to the raging storm, awed by it.

Soon rain started pouring down on them and Zenitsu’s worried, nagging voice interrupted their moment, begging them to come inside before they got sick or worse. 

The room stopped spinning, slayer and demon staring one another down as they waited for their next move. Kaigaku never took those words Jirogo said to him at heart, young and filled with stupid alpha pride. But maybe they did have some weight to them, as throughout this whole journey all he'd been doing was thinking of nonsense, useless thoughts just there to distract him and cause him injury. 

“After all that had happened I kept letting all these negative thoughts block my true skill. Lightning doesn't think before it strikes, its power is in its suddenness, moving on instinct. It's powerful and knows it, which is why it strikes without thought, why people are awed and terrified of it.”  Taking a deep breath Kaigaku collected every single thought in his mind, letting them all go as he exhaled. Mind freshly empty, he stared ahead to where the demon stood, and slowly raised his blade up. Baring his teeth he challenged the beast. 

Upon the challenge, the demon started his attack up again, this time with a faster tempo, the room rotating in harsh, jerky movements. But Kaigaku moved with it easily, listening to his gut instinct on where to move, when to dodge, when to advance or retreat. With his head cleared he was able to hear the small but distinct differences between each drum; the right shoulder was highest in pitch, next the left shoulder, continuing in a zigzagging pattern across his thighs and growing lowest at his stomach, which sounded more like a bass drum than a Tsuzumi. He danced gracefully in rhythm with the hate-filled song, body and soul mingling together as everything melted before him, only the beat of the drums staying behind.

The tempo kept rising and rising as their dance grew longer, the demon becoming frustrated as Kaigaku started to enjoy himself. Maybe the pig had the right idea, laughing while the room spun. However, this waltz couldn't last forever- one needed to make the next move to progress the fight and lead it to its crescendo. Yet, it all stopped when a sound different from the drums reached his ears, a fluttering of paper followed by a crunch. Opening his eyes, as he closed them to listen more carefully to the song, he looked down to the many pieces of paper now littering the floor, the dresser next to him having been shredded from the demon's invisible claws. He picked his foot up to read some of the words written on it, momentarily forgetting he was in the middle of a fight. It was a story about a traveling musician who brought joy to the world as he visited each town and helped them with his music. He scoffed at it, kicking it out of his way carelessly with his foot.

“DON’T!” the demon screamed at him, watching intently as the papers settled back into the floor, some crumpled and folded. Kaigaku slowly looked back up at him, a bit shocked to see the pure unbridled rage on his ugly face. He picked his foot back up, his unbroken one, and stomped it onto a different pile of papers, twisting his leg and crumbling them up more. He smirked wickedly as the demon choked, his whole body flinching.  The scene changed suddenly before Kyogai’s eyes, morphing into the cause of his spiraling destruction and anger. 

“Boring…” The cruel and merciless words of his older brother bore into him, making his insides split open and bleed. “It’s boring like everything else you write. No beauty, no value, no greatness.” Each insult to his work was just another stab into his heart, drowning him in vile, black blood. 

“...” He didn't speak back, staring down at the floor as the papers his brother was holding fluttered around him as they were dropped.

“You should just give up, it's a waste of ink and paper.” He turned his head to look at the boarded-up window. “You never go outside during the day anymore, maybe that's what’s making you into such a bore.” 

“...” He still refused to speak, taking each hit like he always had when his brother deemed it fit to judge his work. 

“You like playing the Tsuzumi drum, right? So do that instead… Ah, but, only in the house, you're not even any good at that, not enough to share with the public at least.'' Having had enough of this pathetic sight, his brother moved to leave the room, his socked foot stepping on the scattered pieces of paper, the crunch they made causing the blood overflowing in Kyogai’s guts to turn into boiling lava. He ripped his kimono open, revealing the drum that was embedded into his stomach, and with the same amount of mercy his brother showed him he played the instrument.

The demon let out a deafening roar, spreading his legs as he steadied himself and played his greatest song, the tempo too fast for even him to keep up with as some hits were off-kilter or even missed but he never stopped. 

Kaigaku tumbled around as the room jerked around too fast and too much. His eyes blurred and spun around, unable to focus on a single thing, so he closed them, focusing on his hearing. Trying to differentiate between hits at this speed was almost impossible as each boom melded together, only barely catching onto the deep bass of the stomach drum and dodging in time. His chin burned in pain anyway as the edge of the claw nicked him. He landed on another pile of papers, the sounds of them crinkling breaking the song as the demon paused. 

“What? You actually care about these stupid pieces of paper? It's just some dumb children's story!” Kaigaku mocked, stabbing his blade into them and tearing them. He flipped out of the way as the claws struck at him, now five slashes. He landed on more papers, stomping on them and kicking into the air to cut them into pieces, dodging each attack the demon sent his way, too blinded by rage to hit any other drum. 

“Stop it, you pest!!” he screeched as he pounded away on the one drum. 

“Come in here and stop me yourself, coward! What kind of demon are you if you can't even face your opponent head on!” Kaigaku cackled back, never stopping in his flips nor his destruction. This enraged the demon more, finally passing in his beat and stepping into the room, arm up and claws trembling with the need to stop him.

With a wicked grin etched onto his face, he dodged the swipe of the demon's actual claws, jumping up and above them. He stared down at the demon and the demon stared back up at him, eyes wide as he realized his mistake, his anger and other negative thoughts clouding over his judgment.

“It was fun dancing to your song.” he said in earnest, causing the demon’s panicking to pause. 

Breath of Thunder Fifth Form: Heat Lightning 

Blood rained from the open wound of Kyogai’s neck, his head hitting the floor with a dull thud. As soon as Kaigaku landed he fell to his knees, his whole body hurting as the adrenaline from the fight left him completely. Each breath he took was shaky and deep, making his ribs creak painfully.

“You,” The demon spoke out, causing him to raise his head in attention. “You really like my music?” 

“...Eh, I’ve heard better but… this was probably the most fun I had fighting a demon.” He smirked down at him. “Maybe if you’d stayed human you could have made a name for yourself but, you just had to be an idiot and throw it away.” All he got in response was a dying hum, as the demon’s head was mostly ash at this point. 

“Ah, right! Blood, blood…” he pulled out a tool Tamayo had given him before he left from inside his uniform. It was a weird knife-and-vial combo that could collect the blood of strong demons for them to examine. He opened it and stabbed it into the dying body before him, watching curiously as it filled with dark blood. “Wow, it started all by itself huh…?” He pulled it out once it was full, twirling it around in his hands as he tried to figure out how it worked. “How… am I going to give this to her…?” 

All she said when they departed was that she would contact him when anything needed to be said, but how would she know if he needed to reach her? 

“Meow!” he flinched as a cat rubbed against his side, meowing at him. 

“A cat…?” She had a little backpack strapped to her back and a piece of paper with an eye design attached to her collar. “Have you been following me all this time?” he asked the kitty, scratching her chin and smiling slightly at her purring. He capped the vile and tucked it safely into her little backpack. With her goods secured, she rubbed against him once more then trotted away, presumably to wherever Tamayo had taken residence. 

“Right,” Kaigaku stood back up himself, only wincing slightly. “Gotta find the brats and get out of here.” 

It didn't take long to find the two betas. Now that the house was without a master; its interior had reverted to its normal form. He found their soap-like scents and speedwalked all the way to them. 

“Kiyoshi, Shoichi!” he made sure to shout as he opened the door, slamming it closed again as they screamed and threw random objects at him. “H-hey! Why are you throwing things at me?!” 

“Ah! Kaigaku-san!?” Kiyoshi asked, dropping the things in his hands. “I'm sorry! The drum vanished and we started to panic…” He opened the door again, glaring at them as he entered the room. 

“Yeah well, you're welcome for that. The demon’s dead, so let's go.” He turned around, barely waiting as they got up to follow, albeit slowly thanks to the elder one’s injury. They walked for a long while before they finally found an exit, the scent of anger, fear and blood wafting in from the outside. The hair on the back of his neck stood up at the conflicting scents, causing him to speed up and reach Zenitsu. 

Reaching the busted-open door he stared in terror at what was waiting for him outside. Tanjirou’s body curled tightly around Zenitsu’s basket as the boar from before stood above him, smashing his foot into his face. They both looked up at him, Tanjirou’s face bloody and swollen from the beating the other was giving him. And yet, he smiled brightly at Kaigaku, no sense of fear or regret on his face as he said:

“Kaigaku-san! I protected it for you!” Some blood spilled out of his mouth as he spoke. “Because you said it was more important to you than your life! I made sure to keep it safe!”

The world around him became fuzzy as something deep within his mind snapped.

Chapter Text

Tanjirou always had a great sense of smell, even for an alpha, whose senses were already heightened more than other secondary genders. He was often told stories about his toddler days where he would just sit outside and sniff the air deeply before pointing out where a wild animal would be. Not too long after, it, usually a rabbit or bird, would make itself known, proving his guess right. It was apparently his favorite game to play with his father, as they both would sit out there for hours playing it. Though it was rare for an animal to come close to their little home, it was one of the few activities they could actually do together thanks to the illness that overtook his father. 

Any secondary gender besides beta was a rarity in the village that sat at the foot of the mountain where he lived. Betas only have average senses so as he grew older he used his unusual sense of smell to help the people of the village, which usually consisted of finding culprits to broken vases, children that wandered too far and were lost or any nearby game. 

However, his favorite use of it had to be playing hide and seek with his younger siblings. They would blindfold him and make him hold his nose shut as he counted to 100. When he was done, he would sniff the air and follow whoever’s trail he caught first (Rokuta) into the forest that surrounded their house. From then on, he would catch and call out the name of whatever sibling he caught until he had them all. 

So, as he laid there on the hard ground, completely surrounded by black, he noticed right away when the demon's scent started growing fainter.

“Kaigaku-san must have found and killed it, thank goodness…” He smiled at the thought, more than happy to know the others were alive and now safe from any more dangers. However, as the overpowering scent of ink and rot dissipated, the scent of distress and fear became more pronounced. 

“Tan… Tanjir...Tanjirou-nii!!” Teruko’s loud cries forced his eyes to open. The bright sunlight blinded him for a second, his eyes squinting as he stared up at the crying girl. 

“Ah, Teruko… are you okay?” He asked, getting up slowly into a sitting position, his head throbbing a bit. 

“Yes, you protected me from the fall… but you fell from the second floor! Are you ok?!” She fretted over him, hands waving in the air in panic. 

“Oh, really? Haha, I’m fine, I’m fine! My head is as hard as stone!” He laughed at her as he patted the back of his head to show her, only to feel something warm and sticky. Pulling it back he saw a dark red that covered the palm of his hand. “Oh, oops!” Sadly, the skin around his skull wasn’t as tough.

“Ah! You're bleeding!” She fretted ever more, wanting to help but unsure how to. 

“It's fine! I'd rather be hurt than you!” 

She opened her mouth to say something else when the front door busted off the hinges and fell noisily. Out stepped the pig-man from before, a splatter of dried demon blood burning off of him in the sun. 

“HAHAHA! I sense a demon!!” He cackled as the dead eyes of his mask bored into Kaigaku’s basket.

“Ah! It's you!” He stood up, unbothered by the cut on the back of his head. The boar snapped his head towards him when he spoke, now victim to that dead-eyed glare. “I'm glad you made it out okay! Did you happen to see anyone else on your way out?” With the demon gone the house must have reverted back to normal, but you could never be too sure. He didn't want Kaigaku and the others to be stuck in there any longer than necessary. If anything he’d go back inside and get them himself.

His inquiries were ignored as the boar head turned back to stare forward. A drunken giggle escaped the mask as he got into a more offensive position, his scent perfuming with the need to hunt and maim. 

Tanjirou barely had a second to react when he suddenly darted forward. Skidding to a stop right in front of the basket he raised his dual blades, poised to attack. 

“STOP!” He shouted as he rushed to block the pig. “I won't let you! This basket is really important to Kaigaku-san!” So he said, but that wasn’t his full motive for stopping him. For some reason his protective instincts were buzzing almost uncontrollably, forcing him to act before he even knew it.

“Huh? Are you stupid? There's a demon in there!!” His voice was deep and raspy, tone insulting. 

“I know!! It took a bit to figure out the scent coming from it was that of a demon, but I know now!” It was embarrassing how long it took him to catch on to that demonic scent. He was way more interested in the sweetness of it whenever he had the chance to smell it. 

Kaigaku, who oozed with rage and hatred, who was standoffish and would never bother himself with unnecessary baggage, was carrying a demon around with him. He bit his lip and glared at the dirt beneath his feet. “I don't know why he has a demon with him, but I'm planning on asking him!” 

His scent wasn’t only for looking for things, it also helped in figuring out people's emotions way before they let it on, if they let it on. It might not seem like much of a feat compared to other alphas, but in a family full of betas it was a blessing. Takeo always hid his true feelings as any preteen would, his soft beta scent souring a bit when Tanjirou would baby his younger siblings, jealous he wasn't getting head pats or crushing hugs that lifted him off the ground. Of course, he would go right over and do all those things; laughing loudly as his scent would sweeten in happiness while whining and scolding Tanjirou for treating him like a child. 

So, when he met Kaigaku he was overwhelmed with the rage that rolled off him in thick waves, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end in preparation for a fight. However, as he breathed more of it in he could also sniff out the deeper levels of his emotions.

The ones he hid deep beneath the layers of his anger, that only someone with his heightened sense would ever be able to sniff out. Fear, anxiety, self-loathing and the salt of tears wanting to be shed yet held back every time clashed all together, fighting for the number one spot in his heart but always kicked back by another. Kaigaku had so much going through his head that Tanjirou could only guess about. But, he did know that he loved and cared about whoever this demon was more than anything. He wasn’t about to let some weird, depraved boar hurt whoever they were. 

Of course, those were only his outward feelings, as that sickly, sweet smell from the basket called to him like a siren's call. When Kaigaku went to leave him on that dirt trail he felt the need to follow just so he could smell it more. He was ecstatic when he learned they were going the same way, subtly scenting the air as he tried to make conversation with the standoffish alpha. 

All he got from it was a bout of lightheadedness and finally catching onto the rot that clung to the sweetness like a tick, even if he didn’t connect it to a demon’s scent right away. It was weird and addicting and disgusting all at once and Tanjirou wanted nothing more than to bury his head into the cloth that was wrapped around it and huff it in until he got sick. 

So, with a fiery resolve he glared at the boar and stood his ground. “So until I get my answer you need to back off!” He had lost so much himself, he knew how painful it truly was. He would hate it if he allowed this one thing his new friend cared about so much to be lost as well. It must already hurt to know they’re a demon. 

“You talk tough, but you didn't even raise your katana at me!” The pig yelled out as he raised his right arm and then slammed the butt of his sword into Tanjirou’s face. It was sudden and strong, his cheek quickly bruising as he fell to the floor, groaning in pain. He got right back up though, ignoring the pain. The boar had his other arm raised ready to cut the basket clean in half. Tanjirou's ears were ringing as he felt a sudden spike of anger in his guts, more so than necessary. 

Newly enraged, he grabbed onto his calf and with all his might, threw the other alpha as far away from the basket as he could. He landed painfully on his back but easily jumped back up, cackling in excitement. Tanjirou kneeled in front of the demon, the fear scent wafting from it in making his anger bubble up into his throat, the need to protect high and unwavering. 

“Ha! You’re the second animal to throw me today!” He ran right back at him, completely unbothered that he was thrown away like trash. He kicked him straight in his unprotected gut as Tanjirou was more inclined to protect the demon than himself. “But throwing me won't stop me! If you're serious, fight!” He kicked again, harder this time, forcing all the air to leave Tanjirou’s body in a painful gasp. Thinking he was down for the count, the pig turned back around to attempt murder once more, but Tanjirou was just as quick to grab and toss him again.

This time, instead of kneeling uselessly near the basket, he pulled it into his arms and curled himself around it. As it folded into itself he could feel the vague outline of a body within it and hear their muffled crying. 

“What?” The boar started, standing above him akin to how a predator would to their cornered prey. “You think that's gonna stop me?” He threatened and pulled his leg up until all Tanjirou could see was the underside of his sandal. And then it was smashed into his face, over and over. Each hit made his face a bloody mess, his teeth shook loose, his nose bled in heavy spurts, and his right eye swelled up so much it was forced closed. It hurt so much, but this pain was nothing compared to losing someone you loved. So, even as he got beaten to a pulp, he sat there and took it. 

He tried his best to bury his face against the basket to protect himself at least a little bit. However, it almost seemed like a mistake when that scent invaded his senses. Peaches, warm sweet cream, honey and static mixed awfully with rot and decay, a disjointed harmony of the best and worst smells he ever sensed before. It was everything to him, making this beating all the more worth it. 

“Dammit! Draw your sword and fight!” He got a little reprieve when the boar spoke up again. “It’s no fun if you just take-” and then he stopped, voice dying in his throat. 

Opening his eyes, he lifted his head up to see Kaigaku with two betas trailing behind him and felt relief. 

“Kaigaku-san!” He raised his head more and smiled at him. “Don't worry! I protected it for you!” He coughed and felt blood spill out and drip down his chin. “Because Kaigaku-san said that this basket was more important to him than his own life! So I made sure it was safe!” 

Tanjirou had only ever met two alphas before, his father and the ghost boy, Sabito, during his training. His father was a gentle and sickly man, never raising his voice or getting angry at his children. And while Sabito was short-tempered, he was very caring and acted like the older brother Tanjirou never had. He knew well enough how alphas were the most easily-angered out of all the secondary genders. Their rage was nothing to sneeze at, as his father would often tell him. And yet, when Kaigaku walked through that door and bore witness to his basket about to be attacked, he was not prepared for the scent that came off him. It was dark and suffocating, dousing the whole area they were in; making even the betas scared of what he might do. 

Faster than anyone would be able to see, Kaigaku was in the pig’s face, left arm pulled back as far as it could go before it plowed itself deep into his stomach. It seemed like time slowed down as Tanjirou watched in horror as that fist embedded itself into the other deeper than should be possible. Then all at once time sped up again as the pig’s body flew weightlessly in the air as the force of the punch pushed him away. He rolled on the ground until he got enough sense of mind to dig his fingers into the dirt to stop himself. But it all was in vain as he lifted his head up just in time to witness a heel aiming for his skull. His abnormal reflexes were the only thing that saved him from a caved-in skull. He dropped his body close to the ground and rolled out of the way, gulping at the crater that was left in his wake. 

Kaigaku didn't let that stop him though, moving quick as lightning, throwing as many kicks and punches at the boar as he could. His turquoise eyes were lifeless, focused entirely on the threat that dared to attack what was his. The pig tried to dodge or block every shot that was aimed at him, getting hit more often than not. He was being cornered against the wall of trees that surrounded them. With his back rubbing against rough bark he waited for the next punch, ducking down just before it collided with his face. He then leaped out of harm's way, or at least tried too, but the back of his head was grabbed tightly. 

Having no other way out he slipped out of his mask, showing his shame to those around him. He made sure to get as far away from Kaigaku as he could, turning around when it felt safe enough to. Maybe the shock from seeing his mangled face would give him enough time to fight back as running away would never be an option.

“Hehe…” he laughed nervously as he watched the feral alpha throw his mask to the ground. “You're a pretty good fighter! A-as a reward I'll tell you my name!” he backed away further when the other made a step towards him, scared but unwilling to admit it. “I’m Hashi-”

“Corpses don't need names.” was all Kaigaku said as he pounced on him, his voice deeper than normal. This time he knocked him down with a shove to both shoulders, straddling his waist when they landed on the dirt. With his right hand, he grabbed the girly-faced alpha by the throat, his eyes filled with malevolence and contempt for the kid beneath him. 

“Wait-” the fist of his left hand collided into the pig's face, hard. And then it struck again and again and more and more, each hit coming down harder and stronger. Kaigaku’s eyes widened as a mania unlike any other flowed through his veins, making all his senses focus entirely on the enemy in his grasp. As the face below him got bloodier he felt himself smiling wildly, feeling giddy and drunk as he eliminated the threat to his pack. The gurgling and aborted shouts that escaped his prey were music to his ears, the crunch of his nose breaking beneath the power of his fist making him shudder in the best way possible. The grip he had around the boar’s throat tightened, choking him along with his punches.

“He's going to kill him!!” Kiyoshi exclaimed as he grabbed his two younger siblings, hiding them from the horror show. Azura flew down from the trees, flying in panicked circles around them as she cried out, worried for her master and what he might commit. 

“Kaigaku-san! Stop!!” Unable to ignore it any longer, Tanjirou let go of the basket, going against his instincts and leaving it alone to intervene. He slipped his arms under Kaigaku’s armpits, pulling him off with all his might. The older teen fought against him relentlessly, kicking and growling the entire time. “He’s already down! Please stop! Get a ho-ACK!!” His shin was kicked, the pain making him loosen up enough for Kaigaku to escape. Now he had those dull, hate-filled eyes on him. 

“Oh god, he went feral?! I thought that was just a myth to keep younger alphas in check?!” He got into a defensive position as Kaigaku prowled around him, growling menacingly and even drooling around his elongated canines. 

“Please calm down! You're not yourself right now!” Tanjirou tried to reason, unsure what to do with a feral alpha. He barely knew anything about being an alpha let alone something as rare as going feral. All he knew was that you lose all sense of self. It was now he wished his father lived longer or there were more alphas around where he lived, missing on any guidance for such a situation. Growing bored of this dance, Kaigaku moved to grab at Tanjirou, just able to get a hold of his haori and pulled them both down. There they wrestled, trying their hardest to hold the other down. Kaigaku snapped his teeth at the redhead, no longer for the sake of petty challenges but with intent to rip his throat out. 

“Kaigaku! S-stop it!” There were too many powerful scents around him, bitter fear, spicy anger, coppery blood; it was all making his headache worse and his own grasp with himself slipping. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” he shouted and let go of Kaigaku’s arms to instead grab his head and slammed his own into it.

A loud crack reverberated out of the forest, scaring away all the wild life that was nearby. After a beat of silence Kaigaku’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body went limp in Tanjirou hold. 

“A-are they…?” Kiyoshi spoke up timidly, body trembling along with his siblings. 

“They're both unconscious.” Tanjirou carefully rolled Kaigaku off him, getting up and sighing at the mess. 

“Wow! You headbutted him really hard! Look, he's even bleeding, yet you're completely fine!” Shoichi exclaimed, pointing at the red spot on Kaigaku’s forehead. 

“Yep...” he barely acknowledged him, instead focusing on taking off his haori and folding it neatly. He walked over to the knocked out wild-child, grimacing when he saw how badly his face was beaten, worse off than his own. He crouched down and carefully moved his head so it was pillowed on his haori. As a last minute thought, he grabbed his mask and placed it right next to him as some form of comfort. He then took off the outer jacket to his uniform and folded it to place under Kaigaku’s head. He gently picked up the basket, ignoring the increasingly worried scent and muffled cries emanating from it and placed it right next to Kaigaku. So close they were touching. Hopefully that would be enough to have him wake up sane.  

“Alright!” He turned to the beta children and clapped his hands. “Who wants to help me dig some graves?”

~~~~~~~~~~

He awoke to the sounds of two very annoying voices arguing. His face scrunched up in annoyance as he tried to block them out and continue his rest. Unfortunately they grew louder, chasing away any remnants of sleep he had left.

“WHAT DO I CARE ABOUT SOME DEAD THINGS?!” One screeched. “I don't wanna help!! Let's fight instead, come on!!” 

“Oh… I see…” the other one spoke, full of concern and understanding. “You got badly beaten up so you must be really hurting right now! Each person has a different pain threshold after all!”

“Huh…?” Kaigaku could practically hear the veins popping on the unknown voice’s face. 

“Carrying the deceased, digging a hole for them to rest and then burying them is a lot of hard work!” If he had said that, it would be condescending and dripping with sarcasm, but from this person it was as sincere as it got. “Don’t worry Inosuke! Why don't you lay back down?” 

“HUUUUUH?!” If he wasn't already awake that surely would have woken him. “Don't mock me, puny Tanuki! I can bury a whole forest full of animals before you could even finish digging a hole!!” Annoyed huffing and heavy footsteps followed the yelling, stomping all the way until they disappeared somewhere. It was then that Kaigaku decided to pretend to still be asleep and not bother with whatever these people were doing. 

Trying to get more comfortable, he curled to the side, cursing at the chill and the hard bed he found himself in. Suddenly, he paused, eyebrows furrowed in thought as if he had forgotten something. 

Actually… Why was he even sleeping in the first place? Hadn't he been on a mission? His face scrunched up again as he tried to recall what exactly he had been doing. He was sent on a mission to kill a demon, the drum demon, which he slayed. Then he found the betas and left the building…to.. to… to find someone about to kill Zenitsu… 

Oh god, where was Zenitsu?! Was he okay?!

“ZENITSU!” He shot up from his spot, ignoring the yelps from the people to the side of him, frantically searching for the basket holding the omega. Muffled cries called to him from right by his side, basket completely intact if just a little dirty. Almost sobbing in great relief, he grabbed the case and held it close. 

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.” He whispered to his brother. “It's okay now, you're safe, I'm here.” The crying didn't stop as tiny hands tried to grab him through the kimono. “Shh shh, its okay, its okay.” he soothed, rubbing where he thought Zenitsu’s back might be. 

“Kaigaku-san?” he peeked up from where his face was buried into the kimono to see Forehead, who was staring at him in worry. “Are you back?” He made a questioning noise at the redhead, unsure what he meant. “Well, um, you went kinda feral! And almost killed Inosuke, which, I mean, he was trying to kill um… Zenitsu…? So I get where you’re coming from! But murder isn’t the solution! I had to headbutt you to stop your rampage…” he looked away from him in shame like Kaigaku going insane had somehow been his fault. 

Slowly, the memories came back to him, of how he had lost complete control over himself and was intent on killing not just the boar but Forehead too.

“God dammit…” He cursed at himself and his lack of self-control. Of course, of all the times to go feral over Zenitsu being hurt or possibly killed it had to be when another human was doing it. If he actually did kill, not just another human, but another slayer out in the open like this he would have been hunted down and found out way sooner than he expected, and Zenitsu would have been killed anyway. He cursed again, out loud this time. 

“Fuck, okay... Thanks for stopping me, I guess…” he blushed lightly as he thanked the other alpha, his scowl growing deeper at the beaming smile that was sent to him.

“Of course! What are friends for!” 

“We aren't friends…” was all he could say back, to which Tanjirou just chuckled, as if it was the most obvious lie. Instead of responding and making a further fool of himself he stood up, wobbling just a little as a sudden throbbing made itself known in his head. He picked Zenitsu’s case up and slid it onto his shoulders, the weight making him feel grounded and whole. Just then, Azura made herself known, squawking and pecking at Kaigaku’s head. “Augh! Yeah, yeah I get it! You can stop now!” He swatted at her, already beating himself up for the fuck up he made. Sighing somehow, she perched herself onto Zenitsu’s case, huffing and peeping in complaint at her master. 

With his mission done and his body back intact, he should probably start making way to his next destination; a slayer was never able to stay in one place for long as their job was never done. 

Turning to Tanjirou in order to ask if he would be following him once again, he paused at the sight he found. “What are you guys even doing?” He eyed the beta siblings who were crowded by a dirt lump, placing rocks around the edges while a huge hole was just there next to them.

“Oh! We're laying the people killed in the house to rest!” Tanjirou said, like it was the most natural thing to do. “You should come help us!” 

“Why would you do that?” 

“Well… it's the right thing to do, I think. These people died in a scary and painful way, so the least we could do to repent for being late is setting them to rest.” He furrowed his eyebrows, extremely serious about the topic. 

Kaigaku scoffed at him, about to retort when a loud cackling followed by the pig escaped the abandoned house. He had two dead bodies on each shoulder, unbothered by the blood and other liquids that seeped from them and onto his bare chest.

“Hahaha see! See! I'm the best at every-” He choked on his words as he spotted Kaigaku, freezing in his spot like a deer. 

“Oh, Inosuke! You got the rest of them! I haven't even started on the third hole yet!” Tanjirou made his way to the alpha named Inosuke, carefully taking one of the bodies to place them in their spot of rest. “Kaigaku is awake too, so why don't you two dig the last hole together?” The two stared at each other, one full of thinly concealed fear and excitement while the other was bored.

“Nah, I'm good actually, but you two have fun.” Kaigaku was the first to turn away. He had done his job already, no need to exert any more energy into something so useless.

“Hehehe...” came a quiet chuckle from Inosuke. “It's ok, Kaibaku! You're hurt, right? Not everyone has the same pain threshold after all! Hehehehe!” He copied what Tanjirou had said to him, mocking his enemy and trying to pick a fight. He wasn't going to lose this time, more prepared for whatever his opponent threw at him. 

“Yep.” Kaigaku just agreed with him, taking a seat on the steps into the house. “I'm so weak right now and in soooooooo much pain. I'm so sorry I can't help out, it's a real bummer…” His voice dripped with sarcasm, smugly smirking at the way Inosuke huffed and puffed in irritation. 

“Leave him be, Inosuke,” Tanjirou scolded, sweating profusely as he started digging the last hole. “Come help me dig.” 

Kaigaku watched and mocked Inosuke for the rest of the time it took to bury the rest of the bodies, snickering loudly when he exploded with anger but was stopped by Tanjirou before he could actually try and fight him. It's the least the pig deserved for trying to kill his brother. 

“Kaigaku-san! If you aren't going to help then please be quiet!” Tanjirou turned to scold him as Inosuke’s last tantrum made them drop the body unceremoniously into the hole. 

“Maybe you should hurry up instead.” He answered back, then turned his head to the side in a fake attempt to hide his laughter when Tanjirou let a growl slip between his teeth. Who would have guessed riling them up would be so fun? 

“Tanjirou-nii…” Teruko piped up, grabbing his sleeve “You should ignore him, too…” 

Sighing, he turned away from the older teen. “You're right, you're right. Come on, let's finish this.” The whole group, excluding Kaigaku, pushed the dirt into the hole and placed rocks around the edge. Standing back up and staring at their work they clapped their hands together and closed their eyes in prayer. 

“You done?” Kaigaku interrupted the silence, having enough of waiting around. 

“Yes, we're done.” Tanjirou grabbed his folded clothes off of the ground and put them back on along with his sword. 

“Tsk, about time, I could have done that faster with one arm.” he mocked as he grabbed his map from inside his jacket. As he was about to unfold it and place it on the ground for Azura to point to his next mission, she flew up into the air and started guiding him herself. Putting the map back he followed her silently, not bothering to call to the others, but they followed him all the same. The betas stayed as far away from him as possible. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, a crow flew down from the trees, stopping in front of Kiyoshi and cawing at him. Its bird call soon turned into coughing and choking as it hacked something up from its throat.

“Ah! Wh-what is it doing?!” he flinched at a practically painful sounding cough.

“Hold your hand out and find out.” Kaigaku responded, watching in amusement as he did exactly that, though reluctantly. After another painful sound, a purple pouch shot out of the crow’s throat, landing wetly in his hands. 

“Caw caw! A charm to ward off demons, caw caw!” the crow spoke, making him flinch again. “For the one with marechi blood! Caw caw!” Kiyoshi held the thing up to his face, inspecting it carefully. 

“It's filled with wisteria.” Kaigaku explained, slithering up to Kiyoshi’s side. “Now you can take all the night walks you want and only get kidnapped by normal people.” He laughed as the beta bolted away from him. It felt good to be able to mock and scare people again, having gone so long without it. 

“Umm.. thank you…” he spoke to the crow, which let out another caw. Reaching a fork in the path, Kiyoshi and his siblings bowed down to them. “We’re fine to go home on our own. Thank you for saving us.” Tanjirou beamed at them and waved as they went their own way. Once they were out of sight, Azura squawked at them, urging them to hurry up and follow her. 

“Ah, Inosuke! I was meaning to ask, did you grow up in the mountains too?” Tanjirou asked excitedly, hoping to have something in common with his new friends. 

“I'll have you know I own the mountains! I'm the king of them! Hehehe!” Inosuke babbled as he kicked the rocks in his path. “And as king my only goal and pleasure in life is to match my strength against others!!!!!” 

“Oh… is that why you became a demon slayer?” 

“Hehehe,” he cackled as a memory sprang up. “Of course! I was stalking some intruders who dared to think they could enter my domain! And they were talking about some kind of battle! So I came out and beat them up! After taking their weapons as a reward I made them tell me where they were going and went instead!!” He laughed again and kicked another rock. “I’ve killed a lot of beasts, but they were so weak compared to other fights I've had! Even the littlest of my siblings could have beaten them up! So, I left and started hunting for bigger and stronger creatures!!” He suddenly jumped in front of Kaigaku, forcing him to stop in his path. “And I can swear to you, Gaikaku, once I spot an opening I'm going to take you down!!” He declared, striking a weird pose. 

“...” Kaigaku smirked down at the young alpha, almost pitying him. “You'll never reach a level where you can beat me, kid, but go ahead and try. It'll be funny watching you fail.” He pushed him to the side and continued his way. 

“HUH?! I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS, FOX!!” Inosuke chased after him, cursing and yelling, but Kaigaku easily ignored him. Tanjirou could only sigh in exhaustion and follow them, albeit it more slowly. This was going to be a long trip. 

Chapter Text

Azura guided them down the dirt path, not stopping until they reached a stone wall with a wooden gate late into the day. It was tall and wide, going on until it disappeared along the horizon on each side; sturdy and unblemished. Two huge, wooden doors had been manifested smack-dab into the middle of it and a smaller door sat right next to them. Painted on the wood of the bigger doors was a purple crest. It was of the character for wisteria with said plant circling around it as if it was protecting itself from the dangers of the outside world.

“Fuckin’ finally.” Kaigaku sighed in relief as he eyed the marking. After working his ass off and barely eating or sleeping for weeks he was getting his well-deserved break. He had to wonder exactly what the requirements were for being allowed such a luxury as this. He was beaten to a pulp and then some by this point; long overdue for a moment to heal and just be.

“Oh? Do you know this place?” Tanjirou asked as he went up to the gate and traced the painted leaves on the door. He turned back slightly to look at Kaigaku when he started to speak again.

“It’s a safe house where slayers like us can rest while heavily injured.” he explained as he sent Azura over the gate to summon whoever owned this house to let them in. “Not that you or the boar need it.” he thought bitterly. It must be because of how low-ranked they were compared to him, but it still felt unfair: he had to be seconds away from collapsing before he got to safely rest, but they were allowed to with barely any injury. (Ignoring how he had found Tanjirou passed out in the middle of nowhere and the fact he had beaten Inosuke within an inch of his life.)

Tanjirou opened his mouth to ask more questions but was interrupted as one of the bigger doors creaked open, spooking him. His burgundy eyes widened as a tiny old lady peeked her head through, which surprised him even more considering not even a minute had passed since they sent Azura for her. Said bird flew through the crack of the door and landed proudly on top of Kaigaku’s shoulder. 

“Hello~?” Her voice was warm; followed by a big, loving smile that made the single word sound all the more sweeter. She looked towards Tanjirou since he was the closest but he just flapped his mouth open and closed, unsure what to say.  

“Sorry for showing up so late!” he ended up shouting at her, bowing his head down slightly as he apologized. Kaigaku pushed him roughly to the side, taking over the conversation for him. 

“We’re slayers looking for rest.” he spoke authoritatively, staring down at the old lady. Inosuke, who made his way over, poked at her big, fluffy, white bun curiously.

“Is that so? My, how rude of me, please come in!” She opened the door wider to let them through, completely unbothered by the poking. Standing off to the side she bowed down at them out of respect. Kaigaku and Inosuke didn't hesitate to go through, sauntering down the path that cut through the lavish front yard and led to her huge house.

Tanjirou, however, did hesitate, as no matter how much he wanted to stay and get to know his new friends, he couldn't. He had wasted so much time already getting sidetracked from his true goal of finding Nezuko and couldn't in good conscience allow any more time be wasted. He gritted his teeth, disgusted with himself for allowing himself such pleasures when his sister was missing and possibly hurt or worse…

Shaking his head he looked towards the old woman. ”Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.” 

“Oh, don't be silly, dear!” She scolded him gently while grabbing his hand. With a surprisingly strong pull she tried to usher him inside but he held back. “Come now, I have enough room and food for everyone to stay for weeks or even months, so come and rest for as long as you need.” He pulled his hand away from her tight grip, shaking his head as he backed away.

“Thank you, really, but I can't, I'm sorry…” he declined again, not elaborating any more on his reason why. She frowned deeply at him, furrowing her eyebrows in a look fitting for a stern grandmother. 

The other two finally stopped their walk and turned around when they noticed no one else was following. They watched as Tanjirou tried to let the old woman down, backing away from her stern voice and pointing finger. 

“Always a problem…” Kaigaku growled, fatigue and hunger gnawing at him feverishly now with the prospect of sanctuary so close. He almost wanted to tell the lady to let him go, to have one less problem child on his back, but he couldn’t quite separate from him just yet. The basket strapped to his shoulders suddenly weighed a ton, suffocating him. 

“You have no other missions for tonight, let me take care of you!” she argued, shooting down any excuse that came out of Tanjirou’s mouth. Inosuke buzzed with energy, waiting for the right time to jump in to fight with either Tanjirou or the old lady, maybe even both. 

Sighing angrily, Kaigaku turned fully to face them both, his body language and tone of voice once again becoming authoritative. “Kamado.” he called out to the alpha pup, who snapped his head towards him in surprise, as he actually used his name for once. “Listen, I know you're on a serious, important mission or whatever, but do you think you would last long in the state you're in?” he asked genuinely. Though he was better off than Kaigaku was at the moment, he did first find him passed out in the middle of a dirt road. Not to mention he was absolutely filthy, so who actually knew how long he had been going without any semblance of a break. 

When Kaigaku received no more of a reply than his head dropping down in guilt, he continued. “No, you wouldn’t, you would eventually drop dead either from exhaustion, dehydration, starvation or from being killed. You can think you can work tirelessly for as long as you want but it'll get to you and It'll do it at the worst time possible. And if you die, who's going to find her? I won't and neither would anyone else that knows, if anyone else knows.” he stared the pup down as he spoke, cringing from how much he sounded like a mentor or even, ugh, a friend. 

He didn’t care at all about this stupid, big-foreheaded alpha! He could go off and get himself killed a thousand times for all he cared! But he had to do it after Kaigaku had a nice, friendly talk with him. 

“He's right sweetie, so even if it's only for one night, you should stay.” She grabbed his hand again, this time effortlessly pulling him towards her house. “Plus you stink to high heaven! So even if you fight and cry I'm not letting you leave until you have a bath and I've washed your clothes!” 

“What! I-I don't smell that bad… Right?” he lifted up his arm and pressed his nose against his sleeve, only to snap his head away to gag at the filthy smell that had so permeated it. He must have grown used to it, too occupied with everything else. Oh god, he had been near so many people today and he smelled like this the entire time?! He sent a silent apology to Teruko, who was stuck so close to him for such a long time. The poor girl must have been dying. 

With the non-issues solved Kaigaku tried not to stomp his way into the house, slowly growing aware of his broken bones and other injuries. The old lady, with Tanjirou still in her grasp, rushed ahead of them to open the door and escort them inside. Only once the door was closed and locked did she let the redhead go, treating him like a wild animal that would escape at any chance given. Using his toes, Kaigaku shoved his sandals off and kicked at them until they were semi-neatly in place. Tanjirou did the same with his own though neater, stopping to fix Kaigaku’s before raising back up. 

“Inosuke, take yours off too.” Tanjirou chided when the boar entered the house with his shoes still on, tracking dirt into their hostess’ home. 

“Why?” He asked back, genuinely curious, but his stance was defensive, ready for any opportunity to fight. Kaigaku groaned loudly as he stood waiting next to the old lady, foot tapping idly against the floor. 

“Everything has to be a problem.” He regretted waiting for them, didn’t even know why he did it in the first place. He should have left when they were distracted with the useless task of burying the dead. 

“It's the polite thing to do! We don't want to dirty her house after she was kind enough to share it with us!” Tanjirou explained, going behind Inosuke and gently guiding him back to the genkan. “Look, even Kaigaku did it!” After making a few soft, weird noises while looking at Kaigaku’s feet then his empty sandals, Inosuke bent down and ripped his own off, throwing them carelessly next to the others. Tanjirou bent down wordlessly as he fixed them, making them lay neatly next to theirs. 

“Fine by me! I hate those things anyway!” He snickered and jumped up the step. “I only wear them cuz my hooves are too soft!!!” He wiggled his toes against the floorboard attracting Kaigaku’s attention. He grimaced at the strip of lighter skin that the band of his sandals kept clean, the rest of his feet darker with dirt and who knew what else. With them all now shoeless she started walking down the hallway, not waiting to see if they’d followed. 

“You may call me Hisa-san or Hisa-obaachan, whichever you like.” She introduced herself as she showed them around her decently sized home, mostly just little rooms that they had no need to visit. She eventually stopped in front of a door, waiting until everyone else stopped before speaking again. “This is the bathing area, I already have the bath ready and a bunch of soft, warm yukatas and towels for you to use during your stay. There's also a basket for your dirty clothes.” she pointed further down the hallway. 

“The first door to the left is your bedroom. I'll set the futons before you sleep but if one blanket or pillow isn't enough I have more in the closet in the room. It also leads out to the backyard so if you so desire, you may use it to train.” she spoke rapidly and without stopping for a single breath of air, the words a heavily-practiced script. 

“Tonight's meal will be tempura shrimp and mixed vegetables with my homemade miso soup and fluffy white rice, all topped off with a nice, warm cup of black tea. That'll be done by the time you are all done bathing. After your meal the doctor that I'll call for should arrive to check up on you.” she finished, looking up at them with a warm smile. “Anything else I can do for you before I go?” 

“Yeah,” Kaigaku spoke up when the other two were too dazed by all the information she laid onto them to do so themselves. “I need you to order a new uniform for me as mine was torn. Also for my meal, double up on all my portions and give me a second cup of tea with four scoops of honey.” he bent down, looking into her closed eyes. “And lastly, whatever you see or hear during my stay, stays here, you got that old hag?” He threatened her with a growl, making Tanjirou gasp incredulously. 

“Hahahaha yeah! Hag!” Inosuke joined in, poking her oversized bun again. She looked weak, but the aura around her was whipping around with some kind of power.

“Inosuke, not you too! Both of you apologize to her right now!” the redhead scolded but ultimately was ignored. Hisa-san, unbothered by his threat or rude names (and Inosuke’s incessant poking), looked at Kaigaku and his scowling face. This wasn't her first time being threatened to hold a secret for a slayer, nor would it be the last as not all of them were good people. After all these years of living and housing strangers she had learned to weed out the ones with bad intentions.

Tanjirou shifted in place as Hisa-san and Kaigaku stared one another down, debating on if he should butt in or not. However, right as the tension was becoming too much, Hisa-san backed down, smiling warmly at them once more.

“Very well, if I see or hear anything strange I'll just blame my old age.” she complied easily, making Kaigaku straighten out and loosen up. “If that's all, I'll be going now.” she bowed at them once more before speeding off faster than a woman her age should be able to. 

“Wow! She sure is doing a lot for us… I wonder why?” Tanjirou asked as he watched her tiny form disappear.

“Because we’re slayers, stupid. Didn't I tell you this is a place for us to rest? Listen up, pup.” He turned to face Tanjirou, talking slowly in an insulting tone of voice. “Families with the means that are saved by us show their gratitude by becoming safe houses for us, letting us use their home and resources, free of charge.” he explained carefully, already feeling exasperated. “God, you should at least know that much.” he mocked, smirking down at the redhead when he pouted. 

“I told you earlier… I just started…” he weakly argued back. To his side Inosuke snickered at him, making quiet comments about how stupid he was even though he was just as clueless.

“Whatever, I'm taking a bath.” Opening the door they were left in front of he was greeted to a small room where racks full of fluffy towels and soft looking yukatas were resting. An empty basket for their dirty clothes waited for them to the side. He was about to step inside when that stupidly, cheery voice rose up again.

“Haha, I guess I'll learn more as I work! I don't even remember how long it's been since I bathed!” he laughed again, going to follow Kaigaku but was stopped by a hand to his chest.

“I don't think you heard me, I’m bathing, not we.” he growled at him, shoving him away from the door. 

“But! We need to bathe too and it's already ready! Plus this is a big house. I'm sure the tub could fit all of us!” and like always Tanjirou deemed it fit to fight back, stubborn puppy. 

“You've gone long enough without one. I think you can wait a little more.” No way in hell was he going to allow these two to see Zenitsu anywhere close to naked. He fought them once before and would gladly do it again if Tanjirou didn’t drop it and just accept his fate. 

“I think bathing together would be good for us! It'll be a great bonding moment and deepen our friendship!” he crowded into Kaigaku’s space, unable to keep his composure when faced with him. It was like Kaigaku had the power to bring out the worst in him, someone who used to be the ever-patient and selfless giver.  

“I don't need a bath!” Inosuke joined in, feeling left out of the brawl, the snout of his boar mask squeezing into the space between their faces. 

“Yes you do! You're covered in blood and other juices and who knows what else!” Tanjirou turned to Inosuke, arguing with him like a mother would with one of their children. Not one to ever waste an opportunity, Kaigaku closed the door to the bath, flipping the latch that locked it in place. 

“No I don't!!!” Inosuke’s muffled shouting, followed by his pounding footsteps as he ran away, bled through the door. “IF YOU WANT ME TO BATHE SO BAD YOU BETTER CATCH ME, TANUKI!!!” 

“Kaigaku, please help me-” Tanjirou’s tired voice was next, stopping abruptly when he noticed the closed door. “Are you serious?” he questioned, making Kaigaku chuckle beneath his breath. Hearing a very aggravated sigh and then a second set of stomping feet he laughed again. “INOSUKE, GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!” 

With the nuisances gone he slipped his basket off and untied it to reveal Zenitsu, who popped out and jumped into his arms, hands gripping the back of his uniform tightly. Muffled whines and cries slipped past his muzzle as he cuddled even closer to his older brother. He pressed his head against the other's chest, listening to his angry yet soothing heartbeat. 

“I’m fine, stop worrying.” Kaigaku patted his head, fingers slipping through his knotted, greasy locks. “Come on, we need to undress, you smell like shit.” He smirked wickedly as those cries became muffled yells and small fists pounded against his chest. “Alright enough, I smell like shit too.” He conceded when Zenitsu didn't stop.

He turned around to give the omega some privacy as they both undressed. From behind him he could hear the rustle of fabric being shucked off and then thrown carelessly onto the ground. He was taking off his belt when he felt a sharp nail poke at his naked back prompting him to turn around with a questioning sound. He eyed the blond pointing to his muzzle, quickly catching on that he wanted him to take it off. 

Instead of arguing that Zenitsu could do it himself, he untied it for him, throwing it into his basket before turning back around. “Since you're done go inside and get the stuff ready, if you're done by the time I come in, I'll wash your back and hair.” he instructed as he went back to undoing his belt. He heard an affirmative chirp before Zenitsu rushed into the bathing area, bare feet slapping against the wooden floors as he giggled. Finishing undressing, he bent down to grab the clothes off the floor but got distracted by the sorry state his splinted leg was in. The bandaging around it had loosened up and the sticks were skewed. Wincing, he bent down to try and fix it as best as he could, swallowing down whimpers of pain as it irritated his broken bone. Once he deemed it decent enough he picked up the clothes and disposed of them into the laundry basket.

Standing back up, he quickly unwrapped the bandages around his waist, dumping them into the laundry basket for Hisa-san to take care of. He stopped by his own basket and picked up the dark kimono to give it a sniff. It didn't smell that bad and he wasn't sure if he wanted Zenitsu walking around so freely, but who knew when the next safe house would be. In the end, he threw it in with the rest of the dirty laundry. He had already threatened the old lady and the other two knew of Zenitsu, so there was no real harm in letting the omega walk around for a little bit. He’d be careful of course; didn’t want Hisa-san, or any one else who might come for rest, to really know of his presence.

Entering the bathing room he found Zenitsu sat on one of the stools with a bucket of warm water with two washcloths hanging over the edge and soap. Kaigaku took a seat on the stool placed behind him and grabbed one of them, using the soap to lather it up. 

“Wash the rest while I do the back” he ordered while handing him the soap. He went to push the cloth against his skin when his attention was caught. 

He wasn't there when Zenitsu got struck by lightning. He had come home late in the day after chopping wood for them, only to find Jigoro sitting outside looking distraught. The doctor came out soon after to tell them Zenitsu was alive, but just barely. Jigoro explained how Zenitsu had no pulse after he was struck and how he had to bring him back by doing compressions, his gruff voice somber as he spoke. The doctor nodded at him and praised him for his quick thinking. He then explained that they would need to be careful with Zenitsu and not let him do anything stressful or strenuous for the time being. They were also warned to watch for any other signs of illness as not many people got struck by lightning and he wasn't entirely sure what the side effects would be. 

Kaigaku felt sick to his stomach when he saw the sleeping omega, freshly blond with skin even paler than normal, his breathing shallow and irregular. Just as they were starting to get along he just had to go and almost die. Kaigaku almost felt insulted. 

The following months were hard, Zenitsu having a multitude of issues during the time. His muscles would ache and seize up tight almost constantly. He also suffered from persistent migraines and heavy bouts of disorientation. Some days were worse than others, to the point where all Zenitsu could do was cry and scream from the non-stop pain, unable to eat or sleep until his body just gave up in exhaustion. In that time he and Jigoro took turns taking care of him. It was when he went to give Zenitsu a long-awaited bath that he first saw the scar. 

He remembered the scar vividly because he thought it looked really cool and badass, almost jealous that he wasn't the one struck by lightning. He quickly discarded the thought when he remembered just how fucked Zenitsu had been from it. The scar started at his nape, a thick bumpy line that led down to almost his butt. From the thickest line were smaller branches of scar tissues which on the end of them had many more even smaller scars that covered most of his upper back in red, jagged lines. It kind of looked like a branch with many smaller branches and flowers on it, beautiful and yet so terrifying knowing how he got it.

He thought being turned into a demon would have gotten rid of the blemish, but it clearly didn’t as right in front of him was the scar, the same and yet also completely different. Instead of pink, bumpy ridges of scar tissue, it was sucked into his skin, almost like a thin cut. He ran his finger over the thickest line of what used to be a scar, bewildered by it. If he looked close enough he could almost see a glimmer of gold deep into the cut. He was broken from his wonders when Zenitus whined at him and shook his hand off, reminding him that was supposed to be washing his back. 

“Yeah, yeah.” he conceded, but paused as he eyed the scar again. Wouldn’t the soap get into it? It looked like it reached deep into Zenitsu’s body. When he was lightly growled at next he finally pushed the cloth onto his back, washing carefully along the blemish so as to not get anything into it. They fell into a comfortable silence as they bathed, all the fight and tension slipping from their bodies and leaving a tired mess of siblings. When he was finished washing his back and hair Kaigaku carefully rinsed it out; wiped the suds off his back himself. Freshly-cleaned Zenitsu hopped off his stool and rushed to the bathtub. He melted almost immediately into the hot water, seemingly unbothered if the water seeped into the dips in his back, meaning all of Kaigaku's careful and slow work could have been for nothing. 

“Ungrateful brat, not repaying the favor.” he cursed as he washed his own body and hair quickly. Squeaky clean and feeling better than he had in weeks, he got up from his stool to put their things away. The worst thing about Zenitsu changing had to be him becoming the responsible sibling now, so used to having Zenitsu pick up after him. “Just remember, once this is over you'll have him treat you like how Jii-san made us treat him…” he reminded himself while making his way towards the steaming bath. He awkwardly got in such that his broken leg stuck out to stay dry, his muscle relaxing with the heat of the water. 

Zenitsu hurried his way over, snuggling close to Kaigaku’s side. It was so nice, being able to relax your body for once and not worry about the next near-death experience that was waiting for you. If he wasn't at risk of drowning Kaigaku could see himself falling asleep right then and there. The prolonged exposure to the heat made him dizzy, but he didn't dare move, not until his fingers and toes wrinkled and the water became cool and unpleasant. 

“Zenitsu, get out and help me out, I can’t get my splint wet.” he ordered, making the blond whine, but he followed his order nonetheless. Out of the tub and into the cool air he whined again as he grabbed Kaigaku’s arms and essentially pulled him out of the tub all by himself, surprising Kaigaku who almost slammed face first into the floor. “Damn demon strength!” he cursed while a panicked Zenitsu helped him off the ground. 

Flushed red not just from the heat anymore, Kaigaku ignored Zenitsu’s worried chirps and limped his way out of the bathing room to grab a towel and dry himself off. Once significantly dried he slipped one of the larger yukatas on, humming pleasantly from how soft they felt. 

He turned to Zenitsu who was struggling to tie the sash, his hair dripping wet still. Sighing only a bit fondly he slapped the omega’s hands away and tied it himself, not before fixing his yukata to hide his chest as the omega saw it fit to leave it loose. He then took the towel wrapped around his neck and dropped it onto Zenitsu’s hair; rubbing it aggressively. He chuckled at the shouts Zenitsu let out, his small, clawed hands grabbing at him in an attempt to stop him but not really trying. 

He threw their wet towels into the laundry basket then grabbed and shouldered his own. Grabbing Zenitsu’s hand he unlocked the door and opened it just in time to witness an ever more dirty, beat up and tired Tanjirou who had both of Inosuke’s feet tucked into his arms as he dragged him towards the bathing room. 

“Wow, sure took you long enough to get him.” he mocked the heavily-panting pup, grinning wide at the glare he was sent for it.  But it was short-lived when Zenitsu peeked out from behind his back. Curious bright, yellow eyes locked onto burgundy, making the young alpha pause, unable to look away from the source of that sickly sweet and rotting scent he had become so addicted to in the short time he had known it. The world shut off around him as he drank up the appearance of the boy before him. He never met anyone with such yellow hair before. It reminded him of the sun. 

Zenitsu looked away first, going back to hiding behind Kaigaku, shy and the tiniest bit scared of this stranger staring at him so intently. However, Tanjirou didn’t want this interaction to stop just yet, tilting his head to keep staring at the blond trying his best to hide away from him. 

He was forced to look away when Inosuke started wiggling and turning in his hold, his legs kicking wildly as he tried to escape his grasp. He growled at the boar, irritated at being interrupted from his blatant gawking. He sent him a warning look which got him to stop right away with a mischievous giggle. Turning back he searched for the blond but was instead greeted with Kaigaku’s burning hatred, a look on his face that would send a lesser man six feet under. No words were exchanged between them as they stared at one another, Tanjirou swallowing his fear so he wouldn't be the first to back down. Kaigaku’s scent almost went as dark as it had when Inosuke had tried to attack his basket. 

Even as he started to walk away, his fiery gaze never left Tanjirou’s, his hand clasped tightly around Zenitsu’s who refused to look up at the redhead anymore. 

“I don't think Bakuman will let you mate the mouse.” Inosuke spoke up once Kaigaku and Zenitsu were gone, wiggling violently to try and set himself free once more. It almost worked from how caught off guard Tanjirou was from what he said. 

“Mate a mouse?! Bakuman? What??” he questioned as he dragged the other into the bathing room, utterly confused by what he meant. All he got in return were ominous giggles and more escape attempts. He sighed, bracing himself for another rough fight, but felt rejuvenated after seeing the person that disgustingly amazing scent was attached to. He was glad he was talked into staying even if it was just for that experience alone. 

Entering the room, Kaigaku dropped Zenitsu’s hand and almost turned back around to go and kick Kamado’s stupid ass until he begged for mercy. How dare he look at his brother like he was some meal, not even bothering to be subtle. A typical alpha through and through. However, instead of doing that and leaving Zenitsu alone, he shucked the basket off his shoulder and threw it hard into a random corner. Plopping down aggressively on his side Kaigaku huffed and beckoned for Zenitsu to join him. He was standing awkwardly in the middle of the large room, right where Kaigaku had left him, big eyes darting around to look at everything cautiously and curiously. He hesitated as Kaigaku called him again, wanting to look around more and maybe even see outside. However, he moved along when he was called a third time, considerably more irritated. He sat on his ankles near Kaigaku’s chest. 

Raising a hand to his brother’s blond hair Kaigaku petted the slightly damp strands.“If you hear anyone coming this way, hide in the closet right away ok? We can’t let any strangers see you or else.” he warned as he raked his fingers through some loose knots. “And stay far away from those two, they're weird and gross.” he added on, glaring at the omega until he nodded back. He was about to pull his hand away from Zenitsu’s hair when he felt something land on his own. A warm smile plastered itself on the blond’s face as he petted Kaigaku’s black hair, his long nails scratching pleasantly at his scalp. 

“Yeah yeah, good job, good job.” He praised both Zenitsu and himself for all they had been through and how they overcame it alive and mostly unscathed. Zenitsu made some small clicking sounds in a way to copy what Kaigaku said, rubbing his hand against his head rougher. This, of course, prompted Kaigaku to move his hand rougher which turned into a fight as each one tried to get the other to shout for mercy while messing each other's hair up. Zenitsu had brought both hands into his hair, moving them opposite of one another, rubbing wildly yet also being careful to not scratch Kaigaku with his claws. 

However, even with only one hand Kaigaku had years of practice roughing him up (not to mention he was also a huge, sensitive baby). He pulled away, laughing breathy as he escaped, hair now a wild, frizzy mess. Calming down to quiet giggles he moved to sit on his bottom and rested his head against Kaigaku’s side, nuzzling into him. 

“Tired?” he asked, receiving a lazy nod. Zenitsu was still so pleasantly warm from the bath, the clothing he was wearing was extremely soft against his skin. Cuddling up close to Kaigaku he couldn’t stop his eyes from shutting nor the big yawn that escaped. “Hey, come on, wake, you. We still have to eat and talk with our new… annoying baggage.” So he said, but he made no real effort to wake the omega up. 

Zenitsu whined at him, burying his face further against his side and tucking tighter into himself. The older teen just sighed and let him be. “Fine, just a quick nap alright? Don't forget to keep an ear out for anyone coming by.” he reminded him and got into a more comfortable position himself. He watched as Zenitsu quickly fell asleep, his breathing becoming more rhythmic and shallow as his face relaxed. He looked innocent like this, his scary, bright eyes hidden away and his muzzle off, almost like his old self.  

The atmosphere around them was calm and peaceful, so different compared to the hell they'd been through during the last few weeks. It was almost enough to lull Kaigaku to sleep as well. If only he wasn't hyper-aware of every little creak the house made, in case Zenitsu didn't hear anything in his sleep. 

He then blanched at the fact it had only been about two weeks since Zenitsu’s turning and he had already done and learned so much. He had to consider himself lucky for finding an ally, one with the ability to help him find a cure to the demon curse, and so early. He shuddered at the thought of never finding anyone, growing older while Zenitsu stayed the same, dying and leaving a demonified Zenitsu all alone with no way to turn back, to eventually be killed by someone else. He still wasn't sure if he should consider himself lucky or not for also finding the thing that caused the demon curse to befall all of Japan but it had to have some benefit. Perhaps if he sucked up to the higher ups and got them to trust him he’d tell them of his findings, but as he was right now that was near-impossible.  

Still, it finally seemed like the gods were throwing him a bone. He only wondered how long they would let him chew on it before they ripped it away once again. Well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it, right now he just needed to focus on healing his weary body for as long as the corps would allow.  

A chirp slipped through the sliding doors behind him right before his bluejay slipped in through the crack she made, back from whatever she was doing while they bathed. She landed on Zenitsu’s head, shuffling around to get comfortable and slipping into a light sleep. “Ah, right I need to write my report before she tries to peck my eyes out.” he groaned at the thought of doing any type of work. “I'll do it before bed…” he compromised with himself, seeing as he was stuck in his spot for now and really wasn't in any mood to get up. 

They stayed like that for a while, Kaigaku slowly but surely falling asleep himself only to snap back awake when he remembered he was on look out. He was nodding off again, chin pressing against his chest, when Zenitsu suddenly woke up, scaring Azura off his head and onto Kaigaku’s. He sprang up from his spot and ran to the closet to hide. Not even a second later an extremely tired and somehow even more beat up Tanjirou entered the room with a clean and soaking Inosuke not too far behind. 

“You let him keep the mask? I would have thrown that thing out the window.” he commented, moving to a sitting position and stretching, unbothered by the pest on top of his head. 

“He wouldn't let me take it off no matter how much we fought, so his face and hair are still dirty.” Tanjirou sighed in deep exhaustion. 

“It's not a mask!! It's my face!! How would YOU feel if I tried to rip your heads off!!!” Inosuke screamed at both of them, stomping his feet like a toddler. He wasn't even dressed right, the arms of his yukata tied around his waist, leaving his toned torso out in the open. 

“Whatever. Kamado, close and lock the door and then both of you come sit down.” he ordered, his tone of voice leaving no room for argument. 

“Ah, but isn't our dinner going to be delivered soon?” 

“She can wait two extra seconds, we need to talk.” he rolled his eyes and growled out deeply, not stopping until Tanjirou did as he was told. “Would it kill him to just not speak back to me?” They were now trapped in a locked room with Kaigaku, his anger and his blade. He grabbed it off the floor, slipped it out of its sheath and placed it back down in between him and the other two. The sharp side faced towards the younger two. Both were not ignorant to the blatant threat. 

“Uh, Kaigaku-”

“Shut up.” he snapped at him with a clack of his teeth and then took a deep breath, “Zenitsu, come here.” 

Immediately Inosuke and Tanjirou shot their eyes towards the closet as its door slowly slid open. Part of the demon's face peeked out from the sliding door, unsure and scared. His glowing eyes stared at Kaigaku who waved his hand, calling him again. With hesitant movements, the demon slowly crawled out of the closet and towards Kaigaku, hiding himself behind him. The older teen however, was quick to pull him into his lap, moving the demon around until he sat comfortably in his crossed legs. 

Zenitsu tried not to cry in fear at their peering eyes. He recognized the sound of beating hooves coming from the scary looking boar. It no longer had as much killing intent as it did before but held just enough for him to worry for his life. His mind raced with bad scenarios, causing him to panic so much that even the hand petting him couldn't calm him down. The only thing that was keeping him from straight-up bawling was the other person’s heartbeat. It was so gentle. It sounded like wind chimes blowing in a soft breeze that came from the ocean. It was soothing, and made him feel almost as safe as Kaigaku’s sound did. But there was something underneath the tranquil sound, something buzzing on the verge of overflowing and destroying all that was near and far. It was a curious sound and if he wasn't wary of him and already threatened to stay away he would love to press his ear against his chest and make out all the different components to his song. 

“I think you know where this is going.” Kaigaku ignored Zenitsu’s worries, knowing it would take too long to calm him down and he didn't have much time to get out what he needed before the old lady showed up.  “Zenitsu is a demon.” He paused to let it sink in, the younger two sitting quietly for once and listening intently to his words. “I don't know how much you know about the corps but I'm breaking the law by harboring him in secret. They will kill me and Zenitsu if they ever find out.” 

Tanjirou nodded his head, trying his best to keep eye contact with Kaigaku and not stare at the small blond currently sitting in his lap. He hated the way his scent became more rotten with fear, wanting to go up to him and chase his fears away and dry his tears. 

“What I'm trying to say is, either you two keep it a secret or I will kill you.” no point in beating around the bush. He had no problem ending some youths if it meant keeping him and Zenitsu alive, but he didn’t want to jump to such extremes yet. Zenitsu let out a small sound of shock, turning his head to scold Kaigaku for saying such a thing but was dismissed with a pat to his face. 

Tanjirou fixed himself before speaking, sitting seiza and giving Kaigaku a serious look. “I can tell how important Zenitsu is to you, it's why I protected him from Inosuke. There's also something about his scent that is so different from normal demons. He smells almost human…” he furrowed his eyebrows at the thought, curious as to why that was but quickly shaking it off before bowing respectfully to the older alpha. “So as long as he does not attack a person I can swear to you that I will keep this to my grave.” The thought of not having Zenitsu around anymore hurt him more than it should considering this was the first time they had met. 

Kaigaku nodded at him, accepting his words, and then turned to Inosuke. “I don't care about any of that! I just wanna fight and maim!!” he laughed, defusing the heavy atmosphere around them. “He looks like a weakass demon anyways, sooooo not worth my time.” rolling his eyes, Kaigaku accepted his promise. 

“Good, I'll be making sure you both keep your words, I have ways of finding out if you conspire against me.” On top of his head Azura let out a sharp squawk at them and puffed up her feathers, echoing his threat.

“Um, Kaigaku, may I ask who he is? The demon?” Tanjirou shyly asked, wanting to know all he could about him.  

“Right, this is Agatsuma Zenitsu, he’s a huge whiny crybaby. He can't speak so don't expect much of a conversation with him, and don't ask why that is, I don't know.” he introduced him, getting a growl from Zenitsu at the terms he used to describe him, even if they were spot on. 

“O-oh…” Tanjirou felt disappointed for some reason, but he should have guessed that was why Zenitsu was important to Kaigaku, enough to break the law. “Congratulations!” He tried to keep his voice cheery, fighting back the sudden and violent need to challenge Kaigaku for him. He was once again stumped on why this was, why he felt so angry at Kaigaku and the relationship he had with Zenitsu. But he couldn't stop this infatuation for the demon. Couldn't stop the need to bury his face into his neck and overindulge on his scent, to hold him and close and never let go. What was wrong with him? He was so lost in the emotions rolling through him. It made him feel out of touch with himself. 

“For what? Him becoming a demon?!” However, Kaigaku seemed to be offended and confused by his words.

“No! For the uh, marriage…?” 

“WHAT?! Who says we’re married?!”

“Huh? Y-you did? You called him your wife right?! Did I mishear?!”

“THAT'S JUST HIS LAST NAME!! HE’S MY LITTLE BROTHER YOU FREAK!” In his rage Kaigaku shoved Zenitsu out of his lap and stood up, disgusted with even the thought of them being anything more than brothers. Zenitsu didn't seem to mind as he sat on his knees and fake gagged, just as grossed out. “Why the fuck would you think we were married?!”

“Well!! He has a very confusing last name! And you both smell like each other but not in the same way that family does, so I just assumed!!” happiness and relief bloomed like a flower in his chest, making him smile even as Kaigaku insulted him. 

“Well maybe you should stop doing that. We aren’t blood related, just adopted by the same old guy and raised like siblings. I'd rather eat my own foot than marry him.” Beside him, Zenitsu shook his head wildly in agreement.  

“What are you two even talking about!! Marriage?! Adopted?! What does blood have to do with any of this?!” asked the boar, utterly confused by everything they were talking about. Why were they using so many made up words?!

“Ugh, marriage is when two people fall in love with one another and stay together forever. And adoption means some random person saw us and took us in to raise us instead of our real parents who abandoned us.” Kaigaku explained. 

The dead, blue eyes of the boar mask leered at Kaigaku’s soul as he digested his explanation. A weird, slimy feeling filled Inosuke’s lungs each time he repeated it in his head. He hated the feeling and was about to yell at the fox for using such underhanded tactics to hurt him. 

However, a sudden sharp knock against the door to their room made it all dissipate. Hisa-san's voice slipped through the cracks to let them know she had their dinners. Tanjirou sprung up from his spot to let her in while Zenitsu zoomed back to his hiding spot. The closet door slammed shut right as their door opened. 

“Ah let me help you, Hisa-obaasan.” He grabbed one of the trays with their food on it, bringing it to the center of the room then grabbing another. She thanked him once they were done and quickly left with a bow. Everyone sat in a semicircle in front of their own food, Zenitsu joining them once the woman was gone. Inosuke still refused to remove his mask, even to eat, only lifting it enough to expose his mouth so he could shovel handfuls of food down his gullet as fast as humanly possible. It was disgusting to watch but Kaigaku, unable to look away, was almost impressed with how much he could fit in his mouth.

“Inosuke, slow down or you'll get a stomach ache.” Tanjirou tutted as he ate his own meal like a normal person. Kaigaku almost wanted to tell the boar to go faster, eat bigger mouthfuls, but Zenitsu started fussing and pulling on his sleeve. 

“I'm not stopping you from eating.” he grumbled and grabbed a shrimp to eat himself. He was mid-chew when he saw a clawed hand try to grab at a tempura yam. “Hey! You aren't an animal like him!” He slapped the hand away and got a huge irritated sigh and eye roll for it, like he was some idiot. The omega gestured wildly at the table, pointing at every free corner with a growl.  “Oh…” Kaigaku groaned when he noticed what he was trying to say. They only had one pair of chopsticks because he was too stupid to ask for another. “Yeah yeah, here.” he grabbed at the yam he wanted and hand fed it to the omega like a baby bird. 

“Zenitsu can eat normal food?” Tanjirou asked.

“I mean yeah, I don't know if it's good for him or anything but he hasn't thrown up yet. And I'm not that cruel to deny him food if he wants it.” he explained around a mouthful of rice, feeding Zenitsu his own share. He didn't mention how, as a human, it was rare for Zenitsu to actually want to eat. He was going to milk this for as long as the blond would allow.

“That's amazing! Does it fill you up?” He then asked Zenitsu who let out a squeak and covered his face with his hands. After a prolonged silence he peeked back out to find Tanjirou still staring at him with those big, earnest eyes, expecting an answer. With a grimace he shook his hand in a way that meant “so-so”.  

During all of this Inosuke stared hard at the fried shrimp on Kaigaku’s plate; he had run out of food but wasn't even close to full yet. Unbeknownst to them, an unhinged grin formed on full lips as he slowly reached his hand out. Trying to hold back manic giggles he inched his way over. He was about to snag the food when a dull pain rushed up his arm as Kaigaku stabbed him with the other end of his chopsticks.

“Hey! Fuck off!” he yelled at him. Inosuke snatched his hand from underneath the grinding force of the wood, shaking it to throw the pain away. They both growled at each other, Kaigaku still somehow feeding a whiny Zenitsu as he glared at the boar. 

“If you're still hungry, you can have some of mine!” Tanjirou tried to keep the peace, holding out his own bowl to Inosuke who just scoffed at him.

“Your food is stupid and bad!!”

“It's the same stuff you and Kaigaku had…”  he sighed and put the bowl down, dejectedly going back to eating. Kaigaku did the same with one more warning growl. It seemed everything was settled until Inosuke tried to snatch his food again, pissing the black-haired teen off. Each attempt ended with his hand being stabbed by the blunt end of Kaigaku’s eating utensils, until the skin started to break. But that never deterred him; he was more than used to fighting for his food- he was alive right now because of how strong he was. One of his attempts ended with a piece of shrimp he had in his grasp falling to the floor after Kaigaku tried to fight for it back but slipped up. Of course this was no problem to the pig who quickly snatched it off the ground and ate it with a satisfied, smug smirk. 

“That's it, you’re fucking dead!” Kaigaku slammed his chopsticks down and tackled the boar who laughed maniacally. They wrestled on the floor, rolling, thankfully, away from the food, each one yelling and growling as they tried to pin the other down. Inosuke had the advantage this time as without the sudden spike of adrenaline from going feral Kaigaku couldn't ignore the pain of his injuries. 

Zenitsu sighed and grabbed the chopsticks to feed himself, struggling to grab the last piece of yam. He felt tears of frustration rise in his eyes as he couldn't find a good enough grip and the emptiness in his stomach came back. He didn't understand, just a day or so ago he was able to use them with little issue, why was it so hard now? Why did it feel even more wrong in his hand? 

“Zenitsu.” but then his saving grace spoke up in that kind voice, the sound of wind-chimes and waves curling around as he looked up to the redhead. “Here!” he held up his own yam to the omega, smiling so warmly at him. Zenitsu’s tears dried up right away as he crawled to the other, mouth open wide to accept the food, completely forgetting about Kaigaku’s order to not get near him. He hummed loudly and pleased as he chewed. “Hahaha! You really like yams huh? Well you can have them all, I don't mind!!” 

The look he received for it was more than enough to want to give the blond his entire meal and then some. “Say ‘ahh’!” he held up another piece, smiling at the mimicked ‘ah’ he got from his wide open mouth. Sharp, deadly teeth of a demon glistening with saliva greeted him and he felt his fingers twitch with a sudden urge to feel just how sharp they were. He watched intently as they chomped down in the yam he fed him, shredding it to pieces easily. He gulped around the lump taking form in his throat, a mix of feelings storming in his chest as he continued to gawk at Zenitsu.

With how small he was and how childish he acted it reminded him of his younger siblings so much. Being the great older brother he was, he took it upon himself to feed them so their mother could actually eat a semi-warm meal for once. It was a bittersweet feeling but he couldn't fully indulge on it as those other emotions rolled through him. A warm, proud feeling worked its way up next as Zenitsu hummed and looked at him with a special look in his eyes. He was providing for him, taking care of him. He wanted to puff his chest out, which made his confusion for such feelings move in next. Was it just his brotherly instinct? It couldn't be, as much as he loved his siblings he didn't feel so… enamored with them. Didn't want to hold them so close they merged into one flesh, one scent and one sound. 

Lastly he felt guilty, because he was allowing himself to get distracted from Nezuko. He should be thinking about her this entire time, worrying for her safety and repenting for his mistakes. But he wasn't, he was hand feeding someone, almost like he had already replaced her in his heart. 

“AAAHH YOU'RE STUPID!! YOU CHEAT BY USING BIG, MADE UP WORDS TO DISTRACT AND HURT ME!!!” Inosuke's rough, deafening scream shattered his thoughts and loosened the tight knot in his chest. “A FOX AND A MOUSE CAN'T BE BROTHERS, FOXES EAT MICE!!!” 

“What the FUCK are you even talking about?!” Next was Kaigaku’s own loud shout,  making him and Zenitsu finally turn to look at them. Kaigaku was straddling Inosuke’s back, both arms wrapped around his throat, right under his chin, and holding him up. The other was wildly flailing around in his hold as he screamed and howled. “And you Kamado! Stay the fuck away from Zenitsu or I'll come over there and do far worse to you!” 

“Eh?! I haven't even done anything!” He was making sure Zenitsu was well fed since he was too busy fighting to do so himself. Kaigaku should be thanking him! 

Zenitsu sighed and crawled back to his spot in order not to piss his brother off anymore than he already was. He drank some of his sweetened tea, which had cooled considerably, making him frown in disappointment.  

The rest of dinner was less exciting as Inosuke finally relented and devoured the rest of Tanjirou’s food, who was more than happy to give it to him. This allowed Kaigaku and Zenitsu to finish their own, the former grumbling the entire time about how sore he felt. It wasn't long after that Hisa-san came back to collect their dishes and set their beds while the doctor looked them over. Zenitsu was forced to hide outside on the engawa instead of the closet as she needed to go in there for their futons. 

The doctor was quick and efficient with them, proof of just how long he had been in the business. Tanjirou went first and was the quickest as he had very little wrong with him besides being dehydrated and a bit malnourished. Kaigaku was next, his splint swiftly remade with higher quality materials and he was reminded once again about his many broken and bruised ribs. Last was Inosuke, he made things way more complicated than necessary because he still refused to remove that stupid mask. Kaigaku was forced to hold him in a full-nelson while Tanjirou took the mask off with an apologetic smile. His face was a mess of dirt and dried blood, the skin swollen and discolored. Kaigaku almost felt bad but not enough to apologize or regret what he did. 

With the mask off, Tanjirou took the time to wash his face with a wet washcloth Hisa-san provided. By the time he was done the once-white fabric had become a disgusting reddish brown.

“Jeez, you got really messed up, kid.” the doctor commented as he inspected his face. Inosuke refused to speak back, his emerald eyes bouncing around them all and his lips stuck in a straight line. He looked like a trapped animal. “Well, your nose is broken, I'm going to set it back in place as best I can. It'll hurt.” the doctor warned as he grabbed his nose and snapped it back into place, skillfully ignoring the strained howl Inosuke let out. He then shoved a rolled-up tissue into one of his nostrils and some tape across the bridge to hold it in place. “You'll have to change those every once in a while.” he finally let the boar go as he deemed the rest of him was fine. Inosuke was quick to snatch his mask back and shove it back on, the tension keeping his joints tight finally losing. 

“I'm prescribing you all at least three days of bed rest, make sure to drink lots of water, eat some decent meals and not to do anything strenuous.” 

“Can I get any pain medication?” Kaigaku asked with less than pure intentions. He wasn't exempt from sin and thought he deserved a little fun for all the bullshit he put up with.  

“Nope, I've lived long enough to recognize one of your kind. Slayers have a high pain tolerance so I'm sure you'll be fine without it.” He was shut down immediately with a knowing look. He rolled his eyes and scowled but didn't fight back. With all said and done the doctor packed up his stuff and bid them a restful night.  

“What a fucking quack.” Kaigaku cursed as he got up to fetch Zenitsu. “Can't tell when a person is in awful, terrible pain. Bullshit. Us slayers get abused everyday and he can't even give me something for it.” He caught the omega who jumped onto him as soon as the door opened. 

“What did he mean by ‘your kind’?” Tanjirou, sweet, innocent Tanjirou asked in pure naivete. Kaigaku chose to not say anything and pretend Tanjirou didn't even exist. He also ignored the questioning hum from Zenitsu, who clung to him like an octopus. He moved them both to their futon, somehow stuck in between the two chucklefucks he had somehow acquired. He was about to slip in but was stopped by Zenitsu who started to fuss in his hold. 

Dropping to the ground, Zenitsu walked to the closet and pulled out every extra pillow and blanket it had to offer. He huffed and puffed as he waddled towards their futon, dropping them all on top. Humming a familiar tune he got onto his knees and started messing with it. 

“What is he doing?” Tanjirou watched with rapt attention while Inosuke huffed, turned on his side and promptly fell asleep. 

“Making a nest, stupid. Don't tell me you don't know anything about omegas.” 

“He's an omega?!” 

“You didn't know?! What happened to your ‘stronger-than-a-bear’s’ nose?” 

“I-I’ve never been around an omega before! I just thought he smelled like that because he was a demon…” he flushed, embarrassed at being mocked for not knowing. Omegas were rare, even more so a male one. He had vague knowledge about them from the villagers below his home but never once had he been face to face with one.

“God, you're sheltered.” Tanjirou stayed quiet because he was right, he was very sheltered. It wasn't the fault of his family, they would be more than happy to let him go and explore the world if he really wanted to. He just never did. He loved his family more than anything and was more than willing to be sheltered, to know only them and their little village if it meant taking care of them. 

“Can I ask, what exactly is a nest? Why is he doing that?” He sunk into himself at the sigh Kaigaku let out at his question, expecting to be ignored or made fun of. 

“They make it for comfort, it's a safe space for them to hide in. Usually it's made out of clothes and soft fabrics that have the scents of their family and loved ones.” His voice was soft for once, speaking not like it was a bother for him to do, but to actually educate. “Back at our house he had a closet all to himself to nest in as some omegas prefer to be enclosed in tight spaces while nesting, but it's not a necessity.” It was a short and easy-to-digest explanation; Tanjirou nodded at him appreciatively. 

Zenitsu looked up at Kaigaku when he was done, waiting. “It's a lame ass nest.” he said in jest, making Zenitsu puff his cheeks.

“I-I, uh, I think it's a nice nest, Zenitsu.” Tanjirou spoke up, catching their attention. He furrowed his eyebrows at the sudden flood of red taking both of their faces, but for much different reasons. 

“I hope you enjoyed life, Kamado, cause its fucking over.” he smelled Kaigaku’s wrath before he felt it in a swift and hard kick to the stomach. He wheezed hard and curled into himself at the shuddering pain and was about to yell at Kaigaku for doing such a thing to him. But then Zenitsu was crawling over to him, cooing and chirping at him in worry. He was so distracted by the omega fretting over him that he missed the way Kaigaku’s face pitched deeper into rage. 

With a growl Kaigaku grabbed and dragged Zenitsu away by the back of his clothes and into the nest, hiding them away from Tanjirou.

~~~~~~~~~~

The soft pitter-patter of rain mixed with its pleasantly bland smell made the atmosphere of the safehouse lax and airy. An occasional light breeze kept the room cool even with the humidity that followed the rain. It was the perfect weather to just lay around and be as lazy as a cat. Knowing what little time he had to be relaxed in any sense of the word, Kaigaku used it all up greedily.  

Laying on his side, he halfheartedly played a one-person card game some old guy had taught him during his time on the streets. It was a simple game to pass the time until a betting partner came around. Though it wasn't as fun as it used to be when Zenitsu would forcibly join him whenever he caught him playing. He frowned as he laid a card down, missing his annoying shouts and insistent pointing. 

Speaking of Zenitsu, he laid against Kaigaku’s back, with his chin hooked over his side to sleepily watch him play. Since it was so overcast this morning the demon was allowed out during the day time to try and bask in whatever vague light he could. A huge yawn forced itself out of him, making him open his mouth wildly and show off all of his sharp teeth. 

This was exactly the life Kaigaku wanted, food at his beck and call, no near-death jobs, just the soothing rain and time for him and Zenitsu to be themselves.

“This sucks!!!!!” and like that the ever-fleeting peace was broken. “I want to fight! To feel my blood pumping in my veins!!!!” Inosuke screeched out as he stomped his feet somewhere behind the brothers. “Come on Fox! Let's have a rematch in the rain!!” He went from stomping to pacing around the decent space of their shared room as he tried and failed to rile Kaigaku up. 

“Inosuke, leave him alone.” Tanjirou chided from his spot in the corner as he was finishing up his report. “If you want to train, I'll do it with you!” He rolled the paper up and tied it neatly to his crow’s leg, turning to watch it fly through the open door. 

“I don't wanna fight you!! You suck at it!!! Stupid, dumb, Tanuki!!” he kicked at Tanjirou with each insult he spat out. 

“Hey, stop that!” He grabbed his leg mid-kick and held him still. “I'm not going to play with you if you’re mean to me!”

 The boar sharply ripped his leg out of his grasp. Huffing aggressively, Inosuke plopped into a criss-cross sit, losing all want to fight if it wasn't with Kaigaku.

“Inosuke, can I ask you something?” Tanjirou spoke up again when he noticed Inosuke had calmed down. This question had been bugging him since their first encounter and he was looking for the perfect time to ask. “You keep calling me a Tanuki and Kaigaku a Fox, why?”

“Cause that's what you are, duh!” he stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Pardon? I'm not a Tanuki, I'm a human.” 

“A what…?”

“A human, like you and Kaigaku.” Tanjirou showered pitiful looks at Inosuke, wondering just how long he had lived in the forest all by himself. Just how much of the outside world had he missed, how many human interactions and life moments had passed him by? 

“I don't know what this ‘human’ is but I'm not one of them. I'm a boar! Just like my mama and siblings!” He lightly pounded his fist against his head, showing off the mask he wore at all times. That made the pity and sadness in Tanjirou grow deeper. 

“Leave him, Kamado,” Kaigaku spoke before he could try and explain what a human was to Inosuke. “If he wants to be some stupid, smelly pig, let him. Ah, shit.” he cursed as he reached the end of his deck with no move in sight. 

“Hey! I'm not stupid! And I'm a boar!!! Not a pig!!!” he waved dismissively at Inosuke's yelling, trying to concentrate on his game. 

“Do you see everyone as an animal?” Tanjirou butted in before Inosuke tried to start a fight again. 

“What else am I supposed to see them as? Demons?” he spoke in a mocking tone, like Tanjirou was the biggest idiot he ever met. “Bah!! Enough with the questions, I'm not your mama!” He stood up and faced Kaigaku’s back. “Bakugan!!!!!! Fight me!! Let's go!!” he bounced around, getting his blood pumping in preparation.  

Kaigaku sighed and threw the cards in his hand down as he accepted that this was a lost game. He was stuck without a single move in sight no matter how many times he shuffled the deck. Starting a new game didn't sound appealing; he was bored just playing by himself. 

“Hey, how about we play a game of Blackjack?” he asked as he got up from his spot, much to Zenitsu’s annoyance. 

“Black Jack?! Great!” Inosuke raised his arms up in exasperation. “More made up words to confuse me!” Kaigaku ignored him as he gathered the cards, making sure they were all facing the same way. He then crawled to the middle of the room. Zenitsu followed him, huffing exasperatingly as he leaned against his back once more and closed his heavy eyelids.

“Do you want to play? Or are you too chickenshit?” he mocked while shuffling the deck. His insult went unnoticed as Inosuke watched the cards being shuffled around, transfixed by it. Kaigaku split the deck in half, taking each half in one hand. He used his thumbs to flip them onto each other so that they became one deck again. He did it again, amused by how mesmerized the pig was with something so simple.

“I’ll play!” Tanjirou crawled over to them, dragging Inosuke with him as he did so that he could join as well. “What are the rules?” 

“It's easy, so easy even a couple of morons like you could understand it.” he snickered silently at the tired, offended look Tanjirou gave him. Inosuke was still too busy watching him shuffle the cards to care. “Alright, pay attention cause I'm only explaining this once. I'm the dealer and you guys gotta beat me and each other by getting enough cards to equal 21 or less. If you exceed 21 you lose, if you get close to 21 but someone else's cards are closer or equal to 21 you lose. Got it?” 

“Yeah! Yeah! Let's go already!!!!! I'll kick both of your asses!!!!” finally broken from his trance, Inosuke was more than ready to prove his superiority over the other two alphas.

“That's the spirit! We'll start with a small bet of five yen.” He pulled his coin pouch from the inside of his yukata and took out a five yen coin to toss in the open space between them all. 

“Eh? We’re gambling?” Tanjirou frowned at him disapprovingly.

“Ugh shut up!” Kaigaku quipped back. “Life’s short! Especially so for us slayers, so let's have some fun!” He didn't need some pup lecturing him about bad habits, that was reserved for two people only. One of them was dead and the other became mute, so as far as he was concerned he was free to relapse into his mostly harmless habits scot-free. 

With a defeated sigh Tanjirou grabbed his own pouch and threw a coin into the mix. They both looked towards the third alpha of the group as he shoved a hand beneath his mask and rummaged around for something. Letting out a shout of triumph he pulled his hand back out and dropped a shiny acorn into their betting pile. 

“Yeah, no, that's not gonna work, you need money to place a bet.” Kiagkau rolled his eyes at the acorn amongst their coins. 

“I swear! If you make up any more words I'm going to rip your tongue out and eat it raw!” 

“I'm not making any words up! You're just brain-dead!” 

“YOUR brain is DEAD!” 

“I'll cover for him!” Tanjirou butted in before they could continue to argue, pulling out another coin. 

Rolling his eyes once more Kaigaku continued his explanation of the rules. “Everyone starts with two cards, however, since I'm the dealer only one of my cards is face up until you two finish your turns.” excitement grew in Kaigaku’s chest as he dealt out the cards to everyone minus Zenitsu who fell into a light sleep. He loved gambling, it was the quickest way to make some easy cash, especially if you knew how to cheat. He was so confident that he wouldn’t even have to go that far against these two, though. Stupid bastards. “We’ll start with Kamado and then Inosuke. If you want another card, tap your fingers twice and say “hit me” if you don’t, say ‘hold’ and make a cutting motion with your hand. If you get 21 you yell Blackjack.” 

Inosuke stared at his card, they had weird shapes on them that were the same color of blood. Does this mean he won? Was this the so-called ‘Black Jack’? 

“BLACK JACK!” he screamed out, scaring Zenitsu awake. He snapped his hands to the coins to take his winnings when a larger hand grabbed onto his wrist. 

“Let me see your cards.” Kaigaku growled at him and pushed his grabby hand away. Getting up on his knees, he bent over the space between them and eyed Inosuke’s cards. “You didn't win shit! You have a four and a two!” 

“Um… What does an ace mean?” Tanjirou pointed to his cards and waited patiently for Kaigaku to answer. 

Giving the boar another pointed look he turned away to face Tanjirou. “Aces are special, they can be either a one or an eleven depending on your hand.” Tanjirou nodded at him as he stared at his cards, it was a five and an ace which meant it could have six or sixteen. But he could also ask for another card which could change the whole thing around. 

“Hurry up!!!!” Inosuke rushed him, pissed that he hadn’t won yet and impatient to finally do so. 

“Hit me.”  Tanjirou finally said and tapped the floor twice. The card he was given was nine. He sighed as he added up his cards; having the ace as an eleven would make his cards equal twenty-five and the other way would make them equal fifteen which was less than if he had just kept the ones he already had. Should he hit again or hold? “Uhm…” he felt himself getting dizzy as he thought about each option, not sure which one would be better. 

“No reward with any risk.” Kaigaku interrupted his thoughts, smirking at him in a way that said he didn't have Tanjirou’s best interests in mind. 

Not one to back down from a challenge, especially from Kaigaku, he gave him a sharp glare and said “Hit me.” He felt confident in his choice, that lady luck was on his side, until a ten landed on his pile of cards. 

“Aww that's just too bad…” Kaigaku made his voice purposely baby–ish just to mock him even more for losing and then laughed loudly in his face. “Alright pig, your turn.”

“Hit hit hit hit hit!!!” he chanted and pounded his fist against the floor. He stared hard at the new card that was tossed at him, this time dark as night. Clearly that meant he won, right?! “BLACK JACK!!!!!”

“Sorry, Inosuke,” Tanjirou said as he added up Inosuke’s cards. “But your cards equal nine. You need more to get Blackjack…” 

“ARGH! HIT HIT HIT!!” he screeched out even louder, which woke Zenitsu up again. He covered his ears and glared at the boar from behind Kaigaku’s back, growing more annoyed and less afraid of him each passing second. 

The next card added to his pile was an ace. “How many is that one, minion?!” he forcefully asked Tanjirou. 

“That makes twenty, that's good!” 

“But it's not twenty-one! Ugh hit!” he ordered Kaigaku who was sweating at the thought of losing to Inosuke of all people in the first game.

“Inosuke wait-”

“Hey! No more from you!” he barked out and threw a card to Inosuke, this one being a ten

“Ah! This is great! See, if you make the ace a one your cards will still equal twenty!!” A semi-smug smirk made its way onto Tanjirou’s face, happy as long as Kaigaku wasn't the one who won. 

“Hit!! Hit!!” And yet Inosuke didn't seem to care about how infinitely close he was to winning, stuck on the fact it was exactly twenty-one. Before Tanjirou could even utter a single syllable Kaigaku had gleefully thrown another card into the mix. It was a two. 

“HA!” The raven-haired teen laughed as he flipped his hidden card over showing his total of eleven. “Since you both went over, I win by default!” He cackled as he gathered up his winnings. 

“Augh!! Again!” Inosuke screamed as he reached over Tanjirou and grabbed his coin pouch. Ignoring his protests, he threw a handful of coins at Kaigaku who accepted them all greedily. At this point Zenitsu had given up on getting any semblance of sleep and moved to sit next to his brother instead of behind him.

“Look, I'll cut them in half so it counts for each of you.” He said as he started counting them out, but was stopped. 

“Why don't we play a more casual game? Maybe Old Maid or Go Fish?” Tanjirou tried to persuade him away from more gambling in fear for his poor wallet. “Something everyone can play!” His burgundy eyes flicked to Zenitsu. The annoyed, scrunched up look on his face brightened considerably at the idea of being able to play.

“Fish? We're gonna go fishing?! Hahaha! Prepare to bask in my glory! I'm the best at fishing!!” Inosuke gloated.

“We're not fishing, Go Fish is another card game, but for kids.” Kaigaku explained with an eye roll. “But fine, whatever.” Feeling Zenitsu’s doe eyes on him he had no other option but to agree. He threw the coins in his hand at Tanjirou, freeing his hands to reshuffle the cards. As he did so, Tanjirou quickly explained the rules to Inosuke who nodded his head the entire time, making Kaigaku doubt he actually understood what he was saying.  

“Since Zenitsu can’t talk and Inosuke doesn't seem to know what numbers are, we should just show the card we are asking for.” Tanjirou suggested. Everyone agreed as Kaigaku dealt out seven cards to each person. “So first we start by getting rid of any doubles in our hand if we have any.” he explained gently to Inosuke while throwing down a pair of fives. 

Inosuke pressed his cards against his snout as he looked them over to try and see if any of them were the same. He picked out two cards and held them up to Tanjirou with the silent question on whether they're right or not as he knew he would be at a disadvantage if he showed the other two. When he got a bright smile and a quick nod, he cackled and dropped his cards. 

Squinting at his own cards, Zenitsu only had a vague knowledge of what was on them. It was just enough to figure out he had two matching pairs to take out of his hand. The only one without any was Kaigaku, who frowned at the fact.

“Why don't we start with the youngest one and then continue clockwise?” Tanjirou suggested while looking at Zenitsu. “I'm 15!” he started. 

“I don't have an age! I'm a forest god hahahahahaha!!!” He received another look of pity from Tanjirou and an exasperated one from Kaigaku. The two looked at each other and agreed to just believe he was the same age as the former.

“Ugh, this is just a poorly-disguised excuse for you to get to know us all better…” he smiled sheepishly as Kaigaku hit the nail on the head. “Whatever, I'm 19 and Zenitsu is 16 so I guess you and Inosuke should fight for the first turn.” 

“Zenitsu is older than me?!” His smile dropped at the fact, the revelation that he was younger so dumbfounding that he didn’t even acknowledge that Inosuke had tackled him. He would have never guessed from how Zenitsu acted nor his size. After that bomb and a subsequent bragging spiel from Inosuke, the game went on smoothly. Inosuke would consult Tanjirou whenever he was unsure about his cards and he made sure to not ask for any of the cards he knew Inosuke had in order to keep the friendly competitive air around them. Zenitsu looked more awake than ever in this moment as he played, a sweet smile stuck to his face even when he had to go fishing for a card. Even Kaigaku looked happy, throwing insults but in a more lighthearted way and easily taking them when Inosuke threw them back at him. 

“Hehehehe last card!!!! Kaigaku!!!! Do you have this one!!!” Inosuke shouted as he showed Kaigaku his last card. 

“HA, go fish, pig!” he smirked at the groan Inosuke let out but it was short lived when the card he fished out was the exact card he needed.

“HA!!!!!! I WIN!” he hopped up into his feet and shook wildly with glee as he pointed to his pairs and at them. 

“What?! No way, you cheated!” Kaigaku looked over at his pairs, finding no fault in them and growling. 

“Stay mad, fox!” he ran outside into the rain, needing to get rid of all this high, explosive energy winning always gave him. His manic cackling could be heard miles away as he willingly got lost in the nearby forest. 

“Do you have this card, Zenitsu? “ Tanjirou asked as he held out his four of hearts which he replied with a shake of his head. Turning to Kaigaku, Zenitsu held out his ace of spades to Kaigaku who gave him his own ace of diamonds. Giggling, he dropped the card out of his hand and held the last card up towards Tanjirou who gave him his last match to win second place. Out of the game he let out a yawn he had been holding this entire time and forced his way into Kaigaku’s lap. Making himself comfortable, with his back pressed against the other’s chest he shut his eyes.

“Just us left, Forehead.” 

“Haha, it seems so! Best of luck to you!” The tension could be cut with a knife as they stared at one another, friendly competition thrown to the wayside now that the other two were out. Each asked for a card and the subsequent ‘go fish’ or giving up of card was done in a passive aggressive manner from both sides until Tanjirou somehow ended with only one card left while Kaiagku still had three in his hand. He could feel himself sweating at the idea of losing to him, so much so he was tempted to lie when Tanjirou asked for his ten. In the end Zenitsu made the choice for him before he could, quickly handing off the card to the redhead in order to end the game sooner and steal his brother’s attention as he was starting to feel needy in his sleepy state. 

“I'm out of cards!” Tanjirou said in a voice that was so self-satisfied with an insufferable smirk plastered on him.

Throwing the rest of his hand down Kaigaku tried to sound unbothered that he had lost. “Whatever, I wasn't even playing seriously.” 

“Oh of course, I'm sure you would have totally won if you were.” Tanjirou chuckled at him as he cleaned up the cards. Kaigaku gave a disapproving ‘tsk’ but said nothing more as his face flushed in humiliation, a promise to beat that smirk off of the pup's face the next chance he got. Instead, he paid all of his attention to Zenitsu who was whining. 

“Did you have fun?” Kaiagku asked in a soft voice while petting Zenitsu’s hair. The hum and nod he received made his chest feel light but tight at the same time. He longed for the days where it was just him, Zenitsu and Jigoro, where every day wasn’t spent worrying about whatever the future might hold, on whether or not they’d make it to the next day. 

Before they know it they'll be back out there, into the unknown, into the jaws of another monster. It was here his thoughts went back to Tamayo and her proposition. He didn't regret taking Zenitsu with him; he would always choose that option, but he did think about how much safer Zenitsu would have been with her. How much happier he might be. 

He heard the whining before feeling Zenitsu fumble in his lap in order to shift himself to be facing him. He looked down at him and felt his chest tighten even more at the look of affection on his cherubic face. That's right, Zenitsu made the choice himself, he wanted to be with him even if it was the more dangerous option. Raising his hand, he dragged his fingers through his blond locks. Zenitsu leaned into his petting as he closed his eyes and smiled, a quiet, rough and broken purr vibrating in his throat, proof of just how safe he felt with Kaigaku. 

Unbeknownst to the brothers, Tanjirou had been staring at them since he cleaned up the cards, a blank look on his face as he watched them bond. They were unaware of the storm brewing ever stronger in his heart. 

“Hey guys!!!!” Inosuke was back from his run, soaking wet and covered in mud but looking extremely pleased. His sudden entrance broke both Tanjirou’s trance and the brothers’ bonding. “Look at this squirrel I caught! He's as big as my head!” He held the poor animal up, the thing round like a ball.

“Inosuke! Put him back! Who knows what kinds of diseases he could have!” Tanjirou scolded, thankful for the distraction. 

“Hehehe, okay…” Inosuke backed down too easily for his liking. Barely-contained giggles poured from his mask as he bent down and let the squirrel go inside of their room. The terrified creature darted all around the room, trying to find an exit that wasn’t blocked by Inosuke, not caring if it ran over any of the other occupants. 

“Inosuke! This isn't what I meant! Help me catch him and let him go back home!” Running after the animal, Tanjirou yelled at the hysterically laughing Inosuke who refused to move from his spot outside. 

Kaigaku also refused to help him, picking Zenitsu up and walking out of the way with his own cruel laughter. In his eyes, this was the least the redhead deserved for all the shit he had made Kaigaku go through. 

“You can do it, Forehead!” He cheered him on mockingly, laughing harder when Inosuke followed his words with more insults of his own. 

Maybe these two weren’t as annoying as he first thought. 

Chapter Text

The sky was clear of clouds, allowing the sun to shine her precious rays of light all across the lush yard, drying up the morning dew and warming the land pleasantly. Kaigaku found himself beckoned outside, perching himself on the engawa with his legs hanging off the edge to feel the grass against his feet. He took in a deep breath of fresh crisp air, holding it in his lungs to help clear out all the stank that had filled them.

Being stuck in a room with two hormonal alphas and an overly-dramatic omega, who also happened to have a slowly-rotting scent, was unpleasant to say the least. All those heavy, saturated smells mixed together made his head pound. If only he could leave the doors open to let the stale air of the room circulate, but that could cause harm to Zenitsu if any sunlight found him. With a sigh he dropped down to lay fully on the cool wood, arms spread out wide as he fully relaxed. 

He was all alone out here, a rare moment of peace as Kamado and Inosuke were off assisting Hisa-san with chores. Well, Kamado was at least, that pig was probably wreaking havoc and causing the chores to take an obscene amount of time longer than they should have. The thought itself was enough to cause a chuckle to bubble up from his chest. 

Them being out also meant Zenitsu had access to all of their futons, blankets and pillows to clump together into an even bigger nest which he was in the middle of, fast asleep. Though Kaigaku was a little wary of allowing the omega to be covered in their scents, he decided to let him have this one thing. 

Alone and not needing to worry over Zenitsu, Kaigaku decided to follow in his little brother's footsteps and take a nap as well. His skin was pleasantly warm from the sun and with the birdsong acting as a lullaby it didn't take long for his mind to shut off and the world to darken as slumber embraced him gently, like a mother would. 

Just as he was about to fully submerge himself into that feeling of oblivion, a noise scratched at his ears. It was the light tip-tapping of something hard and sharp jumping its way across the wood. His face scrunched up as it slowly came closer, already recognizing what that sound really was. He stayed where he was as it made its way to him, waiting patiently until it stopped right near his face. Before the perpetrator could do whatever it had planned, Kaigaku jumped up from his spot with a loud shout.

Azura jumped high into the air, flapping her wings wildly and screeching in shock. He laughed cruelly at her, bending over as his stomach started to cramp from his boisterous laughter, which only grew louder when she started to yell at him in her silly bird language, probably saying some strong words if he had to guess from her tone. He only let up when her squawking became harsh vengeful pecks. 

“Yeah, yeah! Don't get all pissy!” he heaved out between gasps of air, lazily fighting her off. “That was revenge for all the times you screamed in my ears!” He easily grabbed her tiny body with one hand, ignoring her yells as he finally got his breathing back in order. She let out an annoyed huff and went limp in his grasp, not truly irritated by his little prank. 

“What's this?” Kaigaku questioned out loud when he finally noticed the paper tied to Azura’s leg. He placed her onto his lap so he could untie the twine and free the parchment. As he read what was written in neat but bland penmanship he felt his mood drop drastically. 

Suddenly the sun wasn't as warm as she was before, the grass felt coarse and brittle against his skin and the air froze inside his lungs, making it hard to breathe. It was a short and hollow letter from the corps, detailing his next mission and the location that he, and the other two, were to depart to once dawn broke. ‘Detailing’ was a bit of an overstatement, as the letter barely spoke of anything, only telling him a location and how there were reports of possible demon activity. That and the fact he was going with both Kamado and Inosuke was all the warning he needed to know that this wasn’t going to be an easy mission. Not that any of them were easy , but this one was definitely going to be a pain in the ass.

He groaned loudly and crumpled the letter up to throw as far away from him as he could. His ribs had just stopped hurting when he breathed and his leg still stung when he moved it the wrong way, yet now here he was, off to break them all over again. 

“I guess more than a three week break would be too much to ask for…” He lamented to the sky. He wouldn't admit to this to anyone but he was enjoying the lax and joyful atmosphere the safe house and the two losers he had acquired brought; was a little upset that it had to end. 

With Azura now perched on his shoulder he got up from his spot and he went inside, no longer in any mood to relax. His eyes quickly landed on the bundle in the middle of the room where Zenitsu was buried under too many blankets to be comfortable. Sitting down next to the pile he laid himself on top of it, adding to the weight and undoubtedly crushing Zenitsu. And yet the little demon didn't stir, didn't even make as much as a peep as Kaigaku’s weight settled on top of him. 

“He's probably exhausted from all the fun he’s been having with everyone…” Even someone as miserable as him had to admit that these last few days had been fun. 

Inosuke was dumber than a box of rocks which was infuriating most of the time, but it also made him super easy to manipulate into doing whatever Kaigaku wanted. As long as he worded it right he could get the pig to do the most asinine things imaginable, like eat that piece of paper he had just thrown away. It was the right kind of mindless dumbassery he needed to make him forget about his problems and pain. 

Kamado on the other hand was quickly becoming his mortal enemy with the way he scolded him and Inosuke for anything they did that he deemed unsafe. Which was stupid considering they have the most unsafe job imaginable; why not do some reckless stuff that was at least fun? Not to mention how blatantly he flirted with Zenitsu, like Kaigaku wasn’t sitting right next to them! He couldn’t even beat the kid up for it, as Zenitsu would start cooing and babying him, playing right into his disgusting, perverted hands. Stupid, cunning bastard. However, as much as it killed him to admit this, he couldn't deny how good Kamado was to Zenitsu. He always made sure they did something he could join in on so he wouldn't feel left out. He never got frustrated with how long it took for Zenitsu to ‘communicate’ with him, even stuck to mostly yes or no questions to make it easier for the demon. 

This, of course, didn't excuse his shameless gawking, in fact it made him even more suspicious, especially when he acted clueless to what he was even doing when Kaigaku yelled at him for it. He didn't even bother to ask him for permission to pursue Zenitsu, not that he would get it, not while Kaigaku was still alive at least. 

But now the good times were over, Zenitsu would go back into his dingy, cramped basket, trapped and alone even if they were just right outside of it. He'd be forced to listen as they talked, not truly a part of the group. The image of his crestfallen face as he curled himself into a tight ball inside that dark carrier was enough to piss him off. This was the first time Zenitsu had people who could be considered friends outside of him and Jigoro, and taking that away from him hurt more than it should. 

He quickly got off of Zenitsu, leaving Azura in his place, and headed out to where Hisa-san was to ask her for tools to polish his sword. Tormenting himself over such things wouldn’t do anyone any good, so he might as well put that energy into something useful. As he stomped away he renewed his determination to fix Zenitsu, wanting him back to his old self as soon as possible so he wouldn't have to miss out on anything anymore.

He told the others about the letter later into the evening when they were getting ready for bed after dinner. Like he expected, Inosuke was vibrating with excitement to go back out there. Weird, strangled noises forced their way out of his throat in his attempt to voice his happiness. Kamado was more reserved in his reaction, eyes hardened with resolve and determination with an underline of giddiness at the fact he got to be with them all for a little while longer. Even Zenitsu seemed ready to go, though he looked barely awake enough to care. Kaigaku expected some whining and maybe even tears, but he did no such thing, just nodded along to Inosuke’s mad ramblings. Then again, it could have just been because he was fighting off sleep, his eyes closed the entire time and leaning heavily against Kaigaku’s side. 

“Hehe, I'm gonna be the one to kill the demon and you both will bask in my glory!” Inosuke spewed out while jogging around the room to try and burn off the excess energy. That one line led to them talking late into the night about the mission and what it might entail since the letter gave basically no information about anything. 

As such, when dawn came and Hisa-san woke them up it took longer. Or at least should have, but Kamado was already awake when she came in and Inosuke shot up after the first shake. Kaigaku was the hardest to wake as he batted the old woman's hand away each time she went to shake him. It was only when she threatened to tear his blanket off and consequently expose Zenitsu’s sleeping form that he got up, yawning loudly as he did so. In the time it took for her to grab their breakfast Kaigaku carried and placed Zenitsu inside his basket, where he would be stuck for the foreseeable future. Before wrapping it with the kimono, he patted Zenitsu’s head in some form of apology for making him skip out on breakfast but he didn't really think the deeply-sleeping demon minded. 

“Your new uniform.” Hisa-san said as she brought in the package along with their large and protein-heavy breakfast. He thanked her with a nod of his head as he took the package. After they all ate and freshened up, they quickly got changed, Kaigaku taking a few seconds to twist and bend his body to make sure the new uniform fit correctly.  

In no time at all, they all were standing outside the gate to Hisa-san’s house, dressed for a war no one their age should have any part of. 

“Before you go,” Hisa-san spoke up, “Some sparks for good luck!” she held up a flint and struck it against a rock, causing sparks to fly towards them.

“HAH?! What are you doing?!” Inosuke screeched and waved his arm at the sparks coming at him to try and keep them away from him, an animalistic fear working its way up his spine. Hands fisted and raised above his head, he charged at the old woman, not going down without a fight. However, Kaigaku was quick to slip his arms around the pig and tug him back while Kamado jumped in between them to ensure Hisa-san’s safety.

None of that deterred him though, as he leaned his weight against Kaigaku so he could lift his legs up and wildly kick at Kamado, getting a couple good hits in. 

“Oh my god, can you stop being stupid for one second?!” Kaigaku yelled as he hauled the attacking boar away. “It's a ritual! Purification because we're going into danger!” However, none of that mattered in Inosuke’s mind as he let instincts take control. 

Somehow unbothered by the fact she was almost assaulted, Hisa-san continued to speak. “At all times, please live with high pride.” She smiled warmly at all of them as she said that. “I wish you good fortune in war!” She bowed at them for the last time, staying like that as they went on their way, Kamado waving to her while Kaigaku was stuck dragging the pig away. 

Once they were far enough away Kaigaku finally let the squirming kid go, watching him carefully in case he decided to run back and attack her again. Only when he was sure he wouldn't did he break out into a sprint, hoping to reach the mountain before night fell. The others quickly fell into line behind him.

“Hey!” Inosuke called out a couple minutes into their run. “What does ‘high pride’ mean?”  

“Hmm, yeah, the meaning isn't really clear... high pride…” Kamado hummed in contemplation, thinking hard for an answer to give to Inosuke. 

“It means what it says,” Kaigaku butted in, a smug smirk etching itself onto his face. “Be confident in yourself and your work. Simple as that.” 

“Haha, I suppose it really is that simple.” Kamado laughed, whatever answer he had tried to think of thrown away. 

“I'm nothing but confident! Whatever that means!!!” Inosuke sped up until he was in front of the group and then some. “Hehehe, catch up to me if you can!!!” and then he was off, the distance between them growing quickly. 

“Wha- hey!” Kaigaku yelled at him, speeding up. “That’s fucking cheating!” 

“Wait! Don't waste all your energy so early!” their third musketeer shouted at them, but quickened his pace like the hypocrite that he was. Even as he laughed while passing Inosuke and taking first place Kaigaku felt guilty and upset that Zenitsu wasn’t there racing with them. 

~~~~~~~~~~

By the time they reached Mount Natagumo they were all sweating and panting heavily, the sky now dark with little light coming from the moon and stars. Kaigaku had won the race, even with a still-healing leg, which wasn't much of a surprise considering his breathing style was all about speed. However, whatever feeling of satisfaction he got from winning turned icy as the suffocating atmosphere from the mountain washed over him in waves. Something deep and feral bloomed in the deepest pit of his stomach as he turned to face it.

He stood there frozen, having an impromptu staring contest with the mountain, feelings of unease growing stronger the longer he looked. It was like the mountain itself was a demon, waiting ever so patiently for him to walk right into its maw. 

“Ah!” Kamado suddenly exclaimed, breaking him out of his trance. “There's someone at the foot!” He pointed to a spot past Kaigaku, right where a person was painstakingly crawling out of the forest. At the sound of Kamado’s voice, they raised their head up, a look of panic painting their face white beneath the splatter of dark red. 

“H-help!” he called out to them as fresh tears spilled down his cheek, washing the blood and dirt away in messy streaks. There was no way to know if those tears were from relief or the amount of pain it caused him to move. All at once the three alphas rushed to him, running as fast as they could, not only fearful that the slayer might pass before they could reach him, but also for a reason too primal for them to really tell. 

“He's wearing the corps uniform!” The stark black and pure white stood out against the dull browns of the dirt. “Another corps member? What happened to him? Why is he here?” Kamado asked, not really expecting an answer. 

“Hey kid! Are you alright?!” Kaigaku shouted at him, using whatever energy he had left to run even faster and reach him before that something they all feared actually happened. “What happened to you?!”

He was less than a foot away, able to see all the blood that marred the poor boy’s entire self, when the boy's body suddenly shot up into the air and reeled itself back towards the mountain by an unknown force. 

“NOOOO!!” The way that one word was wailed made Kaigaku falter in his steps, almost tripping on his own feet from the sheer intensity. “IT WAS STILL CONNECTED?!” The slayer looked back at them, eyes wider than should be humanly possible as he pleaded in vain for them to help him.

All they could do was passively, regretfully watch as the kid disappeared into the trees, which looked more like jagged teeth with each passing second. His screams for help grew quieter as he got pulled in deeper and deeper. 

“I'm going in after him!” Kamado said in a trembling voice, his legs twitching as he tried to force them forward, but the fear within him kept his knees locked in place. Before the landform was even in view, his nose had been assaulted by this awful, poisonous scent that clung to the air, growing stronger and more threatening the closer he had gotten. He couldn’t stop the terror from seizing control over him, the way that slayer had been taken away by something inhabiting it only making his paralyzing fear worse. And yet, even in the face of something so unknown and terrifying, his red eyes shone brightly with determination as he tried to will his body to move. 

“AFTER ME!!” Inosuke shoved the redhead to the side, breaking him out of his reprieve. Grabbing the handles of both his swords, he pulled them out as he shouted “You can tremble like a lost cub as you follow me towards the hunt!” He turned to face them, the eyes of his boar mask glinting in mischief as he giggled in his usual manic way. “I’m starving!!!"

“H-huh?” Kamado questioned, fear replaced with confusion. Did he not have enough breakfast before setting out? Why bring it up right after they saw such a horrific scene?   

“He means he's hungry for a fight.” Kaigaku explained as he walked past him, rolling his sleeves up. “Look, we’re all going in together and we are going to stay together, got it?” he ordered in a no-nonsense tone of voice. That apprehension he first got when reading the letter came back with a vengeance, making his insides twist uncomfortably. And with the whines coming from his back, he knew Zenitsu felt the same. “I have a bad feeling about this place, so I want us to stick together, just in case.” He ignored how much he sounded like a worried older brother and turned to face the mountain once more. Taking in a deep breath, he calmed himself and then walked willingly into the jaws of a predator.

Kaigaku took to the front of the line, Inosuke walking right next to him, as he couldn’t fathom being behind anyone, while Kamado covered the rear. Spider webs covered every inch of the foliage around them, some housing spiders of varying sizes while others were bare. Not wanting to touch them with his bare hands Kaigaku pulled his sword out of his belt and used it to smack away any spiders that got too close and their sticky, annoying webs. For once, he was glad Zenitsu was tucked away in the basket, as he was deathly afraid of spiders and he wouldn't want to deal with a panicked omega in the middle of demon’s territory. 

“Why the fuck are there so many spiders?!” he growled in annoyance as webs clung to his hair and just about everywhere else, making his skin crawl at the thought of how many of these eight-legged freaks were climbing all over his body. His cruel imagination only stopped when he stomped on a particularly fat spider, grimacing as it popped in a spray of goo. “Ugh! Gross!!” 

“Hehehe!” Inosuke giggled childishly as he squashed his own fair share of arachnids, even going out of his way to do it. “They go pop pop pop!” more giggles slipped out from his mask as he got a wicked sense of enjoyment from the exploding bugs. “I've never seen this kind before! I wonder what they taste like, hehe!” 

“Do NOT fucking eat one! Ugh, just thinking about it is gonna make me throw up…” Kaigaku stuck his tongue out. He was already feeling green in the face; he didn't need that pig making it worse with his commentary. Inosuke let out more ominous laughter but didn't attempt to snatch and eat any of the bugs surrounding them. At least not while in Kaigaku’s view. 

Their slow pace continued bringing them even deeper into the mountain’s innards, the webs around them growing ever denser with each step. He was starting to feel itchy, as if millions of tiny legs were crawling all over him, tickling him. Webs were caked in his hair, sticking to his face and hands in sticky strands; most of his poor sword was now white from just how many strings of silk stuck to it.

There was no way this was natural, no way this many spiders lived in these woods. He was in the middle of cursing his luck for getting such a mission, all bravado from inside the safe house slipping away with each web he struck down, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Frozen in place, he tried not to freak out about the fact a spider was on him, crawling around to find a good place to sink its pincers into and fill him with poison. 

Another tap brushed against him and in a fit of desperation he slammed his katana onto the spot, not caring if he hurt himself in the process. 

“AUGH! Why did you do that?! You wanna fight?!” Inosuke screeched as he ripped his newly-injured hand off of Kaigaku. The relief he felt knowing that it was just Inosuke being a weirdo and not a creepy bug was immense. Turning around, he glared at the kid, he already knew something was wrong with him but trying to scare him while they were literally walking into a demon's den was crossing the line. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! What would possess you to do that? I'm already on edge, I don't need you trying to freak me out more!” He was close to screaming, needing to release all the tension and stress this mission was already causing him. “Theres a fucking time and a place!” 

“I'm not trying to ‘freak you out’” Inosuke did scream back, huffing and puffing as he prepared for another brawl with Kaigaku. “I was just trying to get you to look at me!!” 

“And you couldn't have done that in a less creepy way?!” He stepped forward, grimacing as the loud pop of another spider exploded under his foot. “You thought the best way to grab my attention while we're walking through a dark spider-AND-demon infested forest was to silently tap my shoulder?! Just say my- wait.” 

He pushed Inosuke’s head out of the way, ignoring his shout as he stared at the empty space behind him. “Where the FUCK is Forehead?!”

“That's what I wanted to tell you!”  He huffed, moving away from the hand still pushing his head to the side. “He walked off a while ago.” 

Kaigaku couldn’t believe how stupid his companions were. “A while ago? Why didn't you tell me sooner?” 

All Inosuke did was shrug as if this wasn't that big of an issue. “I thought he needed to piss or something, but it's been a long time since he left. Maybe his stomach hurts?” 

“God dammit!” He growled in frustration, questioning why Kamado was always causing problems for him. He was tempted to just let the kid go and do whatever important thing he was compelled to do but feared that something might happen to him. Growling at his own stupid feelings, he stomped down the worry clouding his mind, focusing on the anger at the blatant disregard for his order to stick together instead. “Okay, fine, let's go find him.” 

He turned around to start trekking back but stopped for a second to look at Inosuke. The pig looked at him curiously when he raised his hand up towards him. “At least one of you is smart enough to listen to me.” He roughly rubbed the top of the pig mask, right between the ears, wanting to reward this behavior so he would continue to do it. Inosuke was more like a pet than a person to him, so training him as such might be a good influence on him.  

The pig tensed up at the feeling, his face beneath the mask going hot as blood rushed to his head, specifically his cheeks. A feeling which he could only describe as ‘fuwa fuwa’ engulfed him, making the spot Kaigaku rubbed tingle in a nice way. It reminded him of when the old hag had taken extra time to care for him, promising to make more of that tasty, crunchy food just for him and had given him soft fabrics to wear. When the hand removed itself, he was almost tempted to grab it and put it back but fought against such stupid feelings. 

Kaigaku turned back around, satisfied with the head pat, and was going to finally start moving when he saw a figure in the distance. Thinking it was the redhead he stomped towards it, ready to give him an earful. 

“Kamado, what the fuck did I say? We're sticking together! Stop being a nuisance for once - oh… you are not Kamado.” He stopped just shy of the slayer cowering on the floor, who turned around abruptly when he heard Kaigaku’s voice. The slayer shot up suddenly and grabbed Kaigaku by the shoulders, grip tight and shaky. The usual soft, soapy scent of a beta was harsh, filled with unpleasant emotions as the kid looked around frantically and started to pat around Kaigaku’s body, like he was looking for something.

“Are you a Hashira?!” He asked when he didn’t find what he was searching for, voiced clipped and face stuck in perpetual terror. 

“Wha- No, I'm rank Tsuchinoto.” He grabbed at the other slayer’s hands and roughly pulled them off, having enough of his groping. 

“Tsuchinoto…” he stared at Kaigaku blankly and repeated it once more. “Okay… okay, maybe that could help? Ah, who am I kidding, no rank lower than a Hashira could help at this point, if it's not them it's all useless!!” He ranted mostly to himself, pissing Kaigaku off with his unintended but still rude insult to his rank. He was about to smack the kid in order to get him to calm down when a dirty, meaty fist beat him to the punch, literally. 

“Shut up!” Inosuke yelled at the slayer he had just hit. Striding up to him and grabbing his hair, he pulled him up until they were face to mask. “Hurry up and explain what's going on here! If a weakling like you wants to squeak about pointless things then how about we start with your pointless life?!!!” 

The beta grabbed at the hand yanking his hair, making a pained face, but instead of being even more pathetic he gritted his teeth and rode out the situation. “A-a crow brought in the order! Ten of us came here for the job!” 

That caused Kaigaku to pause- ten members? Never in his years as a slayer had he even seen or heard about ten slayers being sent at once on one mission. 

“But not long after we entered the mountain some members started attacking the others!! It was horrible! I barely escaped with my life!” As soon as he finished, a soft rustling could be heard to their left, all three snapped towards it, instincts on high alert. Slowly, another corps member raised up from the heavy foliage, his movements oddly stiff. His head was bent down, causing the blood that pooled in his mouth to spill out and color the ground red. More rustling could be heard behind them, and then all around was the shuffle of slayers rising from the ground. The three slayers trapped in the middle all grabbed their blades, preparing for whatever might come at them. 

In the distance, a soft giggle filled the empty, cold air. There on top of a rock in a little clearing sat a woman with a web of silk surrounding her in a protective hold. She had long white hair, which resembled the silk around her more than actual hair, cascading all around her like a sheer veil. Her long bangs were parted in the middle to frame her face, teal beads holding them away from the rest. Teal eyes surrounded by lashes of the same color were soft with affection as she looked to the thread running across her lap and all around her. They were attached to each tip of her fingers, only barely perceptible if the light from the moon caught them just right. They all led out of her little area; connected to whatever she wished to control. 

“Now, my darling dolls… dance!” She spoke in a soft, almost motherly voice, holding the same affection her eyes did. Her pure-white kimono barely made a sound as she moved her arms and hands, pulling at the strings and moving whatever was connected to them like puppets. “Dance like mad until your arms and legs fall off! Ufufufu”

Chapter Text

There were four of them in total, either dead or unconscious, but it was difficult to tell. Some had deep wounds covering the expanse of their body, long congealed over, while others seemed totally unharmed. All were still. They hung in the air, toes just barely scuffing the dirt below them, bodies limp and swaying ever so gently. It was like some invisible source was holding them up by the scruff of their necks. 

One was held up higher than the rest, his body swaying more violently as he twitched to life. There was a sickening cracking sound coming from him as his arm tried to move. It was as if his joints were locked into place and something was forcing them to twist and turn. With one more disgusting crack his arm shot up into the air. In his hand was a katana, his fingers wrapped around the handle in what could only be called a death grip. He held the blade up there for a single, trembling second before snapping it down in an arched swing. The attack was aimed at Inosuke, who happened to be closest to him. 

Laughing joyfully, Inosuke backflipped out of harm's way. He was giddy to finally have an opponent to fight, either unaware or uncaring that it was another slayer, a comrade. “Hehehe, such stupid creatures! Don't they know who they’re pickin’ a fight with?!” He boasted while dodging another simple yet strong swing. In retaliation, Inosuke pulled his arm back and landed a devastating punch to the slayer’s face. Kaigaku cringed at the crunching sound it made when the hit landed, unsure if he broke the slayer's jaw or teeth. 

That one hit was enough to knock him down to the ground, making him look even more like a corpse. Kaigaku turned away from the sight to instead focus on his own quickly advancing attacker, who moved in a similar manner. 

“They aren't ‘pickin’ a fight’, they're being controlled by a demon to do the dirty work!” He shouted to the pig as he dodged a sword swipe. Before the slayer could raise his arm back up he grabbed and twisted his body to flip him onto his back. 

“Then… I can cut ‘em up, right?!” Inosuke held up his own serrated blades, shaking them wildly in excitement at the thought of maiming others. The fact that he asked was a surprise, though, as just hours prior he would have done as he pleased without a second glance. Maybe a simple head pat was all he needed to be domesticated. 

Pondering the ethics of killing or desecrating controlled slayers was not something Kaigaku thought he would have to do. And yet, as he stood in this clearing, surrounded by his brothers in arms, he did just that. He stared at the beta boy from before, watching him struggle in fighting his own opponent. Their swords were trapped in a duel, pushing and pulling, trying to make the other lose his grip first. It was a pathetic sight. 

“Nah, don’t maim them, they're pretty easy to take down with brute force.” Inosuke let out a ‘boo’ in disappointment but didn't bother arguing with him. Instead he channeled that energy into stomping on and kicking the slayer he punched out. 

Kaigaku wasn’t new to or against harming, or even killing them, maybe. He didn't want to, but if push came to shove he was going to fight back with all his might. But that didn't mean he would get off scot-free like he had in his regrettable past. Controlled or not, these were other corps members. He was already breaking several laws by harboring, communicating and conspiring with demons. Killing, or at least attempting to kill, his own kind would just raise the stakes and cause him to get caught quicker. So, for now at least, they should only use their blades for self defense. 

The beta made a sound of distress as his attacker pressed onward, clearly winning their clash of blades. Kaigaku rolled his eyes and wondered how such a weak guy became a slayer. “Can't even handle one opponent.” 

He debated on whether he should help or just leave the kid to his own devices. However, it seemed life had its own plans as a rogue slayer rose up from out of the bushes and rushed towards the distracted beta. Quickly, both Inosuke and Kaigaku rushed to his aid. The boar intercepted the newest fighter with a bicep to the throat in a violent tackle. Meanwhile, Kaigaku grabbed the other by the back of his shirt collar and slammed him into the ground, his head hitting the dirt with a clunk. Between them, holding his blade like some sort of security blanket, was the beta, really proving his worth.

Now that they were no longer under attack, Kaigaku dusted off his hands and surveyed the clearing. He wanted to see if he could get a feel for where the demon might be, thinking it had to be close by in order to control its puppets. Not getting any kind of clue from the area, he turned to ask the beta if he had any ideas on where it was. However, right before he could even utter a single syllable, a sharp finger poked his back. On instinct he turned around, expecting to find the thing right behind him, posed to attack. 

All he saw, though, was one of the fallen puppets twitching and squirming on the ground. He was slowly getting picked up by his back and arms, his legs and head left limp and loose. In that struggle of being picked up Kaigaku saw a glimmer of moonlight hit something that was right above him. 

At first he thought his eyes were just playing with him, seeing something that wasn't really there. But then it flashed again, and on a whim he took out his blade and slashed just above the slayer’s back. Immediately his body smacked back onto the ground, still once more. Kaigaku crouched down and ran his fingers across the body’s back until he felt a slight bump. Grasping it between his thumb and forefinger he picked up a thin piece of string. 

“Like a goddamn marionette.” Dropping the silk, he stood back up and called to his companions. “Hey! They're being controlled by thread!” Actually, now that he thought about it the beta did pat him all over as if he was looking for something. Did he know this entire time? Why didn't he say anything? Sadly, he didn't have time to be pissed about not being given vital information as the other three slayers were already back on their feet.

“Duh!!!” Inosuke yelled as he ran past him and towards the group of puppets. “I already KNEW that!!” He leaped through the group, slashing his twin blades and severing their strings. Leaving Inosuke to do his thing, Kaigaku tried to find where the thread originated from. He swiveled his head around, hoping to spot that glint of moonlight again and guide his way. While looking around, he felt his arm twitch just ever so slightly. It was the only warning he got before it was jerked to the side, causing him to stumble from the strength and suddenness. 

In a panic he slashed his blade across the entirety of his arm, feeling it drop once the silk was severed. Almost frantically he twisted and turned the appendage around, wondering how he got strung up with him barely noticing. His skin felt horribly itchy at the thought of something on him. A sinister tickling spreading across the entire plane of his body. Actively fighting the urge to rip all his clothes off, he looked all around his body. In his desperation he almost missed a white speck off in his peripheral vision. His turquoise eyes drifted down to the floor where they spotted two tiny, white spiders. One still had silk coming out of its disgusting mouth. 

“Spiders…?” He should have guessed they were at fault. With the mountain as infested as it was there was no way they would be normal spiders. As the realization hit him he snapped his head towards the pile of bodies just in time to watch them twitch back to life once more. All together they rose up, arms twisting in impossible, painful directions. “Fucking- god dammit!” He cursed in frustration; cutting them loose wouldn't be enough. Hell, he doubted cutting them up would actually stop them. 

Raising his sword up to block an incoming attack, he informed the others, “It’s spiders! They're the ones making and connecting the threads!” His eyes wouldn't stay still, flickering all around, hyper aware of just how many there were. They littered the ground, hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny little arachnids crawling around looking for their next target. The braver ones went right up to his feet, silk oozing out to stick to him. He stomped on them without a second thought, but there was no satisfaction to be held. More and more just came to replace the dead ones. 

“That’s all?! That's easy!! We’ll just squash them all!!!” Inosuke laughed while stepping on his own share and fighting back a puppet all at once.

“Fucking impossible, there’s too many and the demon could probably make even more!”  His opponent swung his blade around erratically, desperate to get a single hit in. Kaigaku effortlessly deflected him, the sound their clashing blades made loud and proud. “We need to find and kill the demon!” 

Easier said than done. They had no clue where it was and were too focused on not getting maimed to try and find it. He couldn't even use Zenitsu, as the beta boy would definitely tell on him. His glare growing deeper, Kaigaku cursed at Kamado for abandoning them. He could have used that so-called powerful sense of smell of his to track the thing down. If they all made it out of this alive he was going to punch him right in the nose. 

Thoughts of revenge were pushed to the side for now as Kaigaku called out to his only other ally. “Hey pig!” He didn't bother waiting to be acknowledged, “You were born and raised in the woods, right? You should know how to track down prey, or are you fucking useless too?”

“Useless-?! I show you use-”

“That's what I thought! Prove your worth and find the fucking thing!” He smirked wickedly at Inosuke who was trying his best to throw a tantrum while fighting off another puppet. “Do whatever you need to do and leave these weak targets to me and uh…” he looked at the beta, just noticing now he never gave them his name. 

“It's Murata!!!!” He screeched back, once again struggling to defeat one guy.

“Me and Murata will hold the-'' He was interrupted by a sudden and violent chill that racked through his spine. The air around them dropped in temperature, grew heavier and oppressive. His body froze as the same terror he felt when he first met Kibutsuji engulfed him. Not even the sharp finger Zenitsu was digging and dragging up his back made him move.

A shadow crossed over him, a single line that cut his face in half diagonally. Only then did he look up; as he did so the shadow moved to slice his neck. High in the sky, way above the trees was a kid. They were nothing more than a white spot in the sky. One that could rival the moon for how bright they glowed. 

“You dare disturb the peaceful life of my family.” His voice was soft and cold, speaking just loud enough for them to hear. “Mother will waste no time in killing you.” 

“Mother?” Kaigaku questioned quietly. “But I thought demons couldn't group together…?” This whole situation was getting to become too much. How many demons were actually on this mountain? He didn't get much time to think on it as Inosuke ran past him, screaming his head off. In a feat only a lunatic like him could pull off he jumped onto the back of a puppet and used him as a springboard. He knew a tough, exhilarating fight when he saw one. Although even at his peak height, he was still a good foot away from the kid. Not even the tip of his blade got close enough to poke the demon, let alone harm him. 

“Dammit!!” Inosuke cursed as gravity pulled him back down. Unbothered by the attempt on his life the demon walked away, not even sparing a glance to the pig. “Get back here!!! Come on!! Fight me, fight me, fight me!!!!” He wiggled wildly midair, uncaring that he was plummeting to his possible death.  “Why’dja even sh-” his back hit the ground with a worrying thud, making him choke on his question and seize up. Somehow, though, he still had enough willpower to grit the rest out just a moment later, “e-even show up!!!!” 

Kaigaku wasn't worried for Inosuke’s safety, he didn’t care about him, he only cared if he was alive enough to find the control demon. That's why he dropped everything and immediately rushed over to him. Or at least tried to, but a puppet was quick to get in his way. He tried to side-step, or feint going one way and actually going the other, anything, but the slayer wasn’t failing for any tricks. 

Inosuke was still flailing around and screaming like a toddler which must have meant he was fine enough. So Kaigaku gave up trying to reach him and just yelled at him to get back to work. “Forget him!! I doubt he's the one were looking for so ju-”

“YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!” The boar just screeched ever louder, cutting him off. “Find the stupid beast! Gah, you never shu-” He clamped his trap shut when Kaigaku sent him a death glare over the puppet’s shoulder. It closed even tighter when Kaigaku, still glaring at him, dropped his sword, grabbed the puppet by the collar and punched him hard across the face. The body dropped hard, nothing now standing between them. 

Staring at the still body on the ground the message was clear: ‘do the damn thing or this is your future.’ So, wisely, Inosuke decided to do just that. He stabbed his blades deep into the earth and then knelt between them, with his arms spread out wide. Taking in a deep breath and then slowly letting it out, he willed his pores to open, to feel every damn thing these woods had to offer.

Breath of the Beast: Total Awareness

It hurt, letting the wind seep into every little crevice he had, to feel everything around him. The trees, the creatures, every single goddamn spider, he felt them all. His skin felt raw, felt like it was being torn open again and again until nothing was left. But, like always, he pushed through it with sheer willpower and scanned the area until he found that unmistakable spot of a demon. It sat in a clearing west to them, just a good run away. 

“I found it! To the west!” His voice was rough with pain as he informed the other. He gritted his teeth shut as he forced himself to move, to grab his blades again and join the rest. Why was he being forced to use this stupid move so much?! 

“Ugh!” Murata finally broke out of his tango with the one and only puppet he’d dealt with since they rose back up. Using the small break between the bounce of pushing him back he cut the strings and watched as he dropped. “You two go! I'll handle things here!” 

“Heh.” Inosuke let out a puff of air, “Wow, the nest-wetter is gonna fight?” 

“Wha-what are you even talking about?! Shut up, you stupid pig, I wasn't even talking to you!” He shrieked back at Inosuke who struck a defensive pose. “Look, you saw me at a low but I'm a demon slayer too!!” He dodged attacks as he made his case, showing that he was more than a pathetic beta. “The puppets near the demon will probably be a lot stronger than these guys, so both of you go!” 

Kaigaku didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed a fuming Inosuke by the arm and booked it. It wasn't an easy feat seeing as the pig was dead set on beating Murata into a bloody pulp. 

“Let me go! I gotta teach that rat a lesson!! Who does he think he is calling me a stupid pig?!” He did let Inosuke go, but only to wrap his arm around his neck and pull him in close. It made their sprint clumsy but Kaigaku couldn't care less right now. 

“Fuck him! A weakling like him would only bring us down!” He had a wide, maniac grin on his face now. He never expected Inosuke would find the demon so quickly. Sure, he sassed a little beforehand, but he ultimately did what was asked and did it perfectly. “You keep listening to me and making me proud like that and we’ll rule this whole fucking mountain!!”

That soft, floaty feeling engulfed Inosuke once more as Kaigaku held him and promised him great things. His face felt hot as he leaned in closer and wrapped his own arm around Kaigaku. “Hehehe, fine! But after we win I'm gonna rip his teeth out!!” 

“We win and I'll hold him down while you do it!” Even with all his faults, Kaigaku liked Inosuke. He listened and followed commands way better than Kamado (or Zenitsu) and all around was just so fun to be around. They laughed, basking in this joyful comradery they’d forged together through violence. 

However, like all the joys Kaigaku found in life it was quickly snatched away. A girl stood in their path, one hand holding a dead slayer by the hair. The other was grasped tightly around a katana that was stabbed through another slayer’s neck. There was blood everywhere, all over the ground, all over her and the corpses she held onto. Dark stains of reds as far as the eye can see.

“Stop!! Don't come this way!” She shouted at them once they were in view. She was sobbing heavily, face stuck in a look of pure desperation. “You need to get someone higher ranked, please!” 

A cringe inducing slicing sound echoed through the trees as she pulled her blade out. The poor dead slayer’s head was almost cut all the way off, just a few inches of skin keeping it connected. “If you don’t I-I’ll kill everyone!!” She advanced for them, actually moving her feet instead of being pulled around like the others. “Ah! Run! Please go!” The silk tied to her raised and pulled her arm up and back as far as it could go, and then tried to go even farther. The way her face contorted made it clear she was trying her absolute hardest to stop, but it didn't make a difference. 

It snapped back down, aiming right for them in a straight swing. Kaigaku and Inosuke were quick to jump out of the way, going in opposite directions. Her movements were more fluid and snappy compared to the other puppets. And way more relentless, with the others it took them a couple of seconds between each attack but she was one after another after another. However, Kaigaku still found it easy to dodge or deflect her. Humans had a limitation that the demons they fought usually didn't.

She was only going after him, crying and begging for it all to stop all the while. Slashing, stabbing at him again and again in order to harm him in any way imaginable. Nothing worked, her moves too readable, her body too human. When nothing worked she stopped moving all together, her breathing ragged and in short bursts. Then her arms rose back up, above her head and farther back. The threads pulled and pulled until her shoulders dislocated from the sockets. She let out a guttural howl at the pain that flashed through her but it wasn't done yet. Her elbows were next to be broken so that her arms could be moved in any way the demon wanted. 

And when that proved to not be enough it broke them even more. 

It was unbearable to watch, so cruel and inhuman. Not even a wild animal would do something like that. But it worked, her slashes were getting closer to hitting him, just barely missing him. Each attack made her screech in pain, her snapped bones grinding against each other. The sharp, broken parts slicing her from the inside out. 

She was as much of a distraction as she was a protector. The brutality happening to her not only made her a better puppet but tried to play into Kaigaku’s empathy. Unfortunately for the demon, he didn't have much to spare to begin with. The best and only plan to make was to ignore her and make a bee-line for the demon. He could do nothing else, and even if he tried it would only prolong her pain. 

However, right when he was going to put his plan into action a rustling sounded behind him. Even more bloody and broken slayers broke out of the foliage, those still alive moaning in agony. 

“K-kill me… plea-ease, kill me…!” The one closest to him struggled in getting just those few words out. His arms were broken just as mercilessly as the girl’s, bent at odd angles and distended to be longer than they normally were. He had an intact sword in one hand and a broken one in the other, both stained with blood. “When we’re moved… the pain… unbearable…” Each word was spat out of bloodied, gritted teeth, sharp intakes of air breaking them up. “We’re dead… no matter what we’re dead… so please…!!” He was using whatever strength he had left to beg for death. He had lost any hope for any chance of making it out alive. These kids were pushed beyond the brink of what they could take and then pushed even further for the demon’s own gain. “Help us! End our misery!” 

“Okay!!” Inosuke didn’t understand the weight of such a decision. He probably wouldn't even understand the trauma that would plague him from doing such a task. He was just a child himself. So before He could even start running up to the slayer Kaigaku grabbed him by the back of his mask. 

“Stop.” He wasn't going to let Inosuke sully his soul by allowing him to kill another human. Not when he didn't even understand the gravity of what doing that would do. It was a huge risk, for his and Zenitsu’s life, but what else could he do? They were begging for death, and he was already committed to not letting Inosuke do it.

“Keep the dead ones at bay, I'll take care of the others.” Inosuke seemed to grasp how serious this was just from the tone of Kaigaku’s voice. He didn't try to pick a fight or throw a fit, just doing as he was told and he was glad for that. Kaigaku was already stained in blood and guilt, his entire soul tainted with past mistakes. 

He knew better than to think there was any way to save them. The ones pleading for death were far too broken, mentally and physically. Even if they did make it off this mountain alive there was no salvaging them. No amount of medical work would help their destroyed arms. They’ll most likely have to be amputated. After that what was even the point of ‘saving’ them? They wouldn't be able to do anything on their own. They'd be cursing you for making them live such a miserable existence. In the end he was doing them a favor, he was helping in the only way he could. He was granting their wish, as macabre as it was. 

At least that was what he tried to convince himself as he quickly sliced the boy’s throat. What he screamed in his head as he watched the life drain from his eyes and into the blood that poured from the cut. This was for the best, the only way to help in a way that mattered. 

All of this reminded him of Kibutsuji, of how he used his pawns until they broke, until they had nothing more to offer and then threw them away like trash. Memories of the fight he had at Tamayo’s clinic flashed in his head. The puddle of blood begging him to play after her master not only left her for dead but caused her death. At least this demon had the decency to not use its own kind. 

It was ironic how disgusted he felt, how angry it made him that this breed of creature was so quick to use others. He was no better, not too long ago, freely using those around him to his own benefit and then tossing them aside. He was just the same as the demons, if not worse for the fact that he didn’t have an excuse like them. That it was what being a demon meant. He was human, supposedly better than the creatures of the night. 

The only thing gaining a conscience did to him was remind him of how weak and pathetic he was in the past. How weak and pathetic he was right now. He ended the life of one boy and felt sick to his stomach, but this was what he had decided to do, right? This was all he could do, right? No one could fault him for trying to do what was right. 

He tried to force himself to feel nothing at all for what he had done, that he did all he could do, but was it really? He couldn't have tried to think of something else? He was so quick to decide this boy’s future was a bad one, but who was he to say he wouldn’t have a fulfilling life after this nightmare?

His corpse was still moving, still shambling after him, swords swinging and aiming to maim. It was as if his corpse wanted to get revenge for what Kaigaku had done to him. As if the body had regretted what the mind and soul had begged for. He moved on instinct, dodging and deflecting the blows by pure muscle memory as his mind was too busy reeling with what he had done. 

It wasn’t just him either, the girl was still after him, dead set on killing him. She was hurt, just as hurt as the others, arms broken, mind shattered, begging him for death. He didn't want to. He didn't want to be the cause for other people's misery anymore.  

He ran from them, trying to clear his mind and think of a way to actually help the other living ones. It felt like he was running away from his actions, running from guilt of his decision. He talked a lot of talk, threatened others carelessly, and beat people to the brink, all in the name of moving forward. But now he had actually killed someone with his own hands, was the cause instead of his actions being the cause for an effect. He had killed a person and it was weighing too much on his mind. 

So he ran and he ran, thinking of any other way to save them, actually save them and not just pretend to. The girl was chasing him closely, just a step behind, a lengthy sword swipe away. But what could he even do?! Run in circles until the threads tangled up? 

He paused, eyes flicking to the trees above, more specifically their branches. Desperate for any way out he turned and ran right at the girl chasing him, arm wide open and grabbing her when he could. Taking in a deep breath he put all his weight into throwing her over him and into the branches. She flew into them, the strings tangling up among the many limbs of the tree making her immobile.

“It worked…” he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have to kill anyone else in the false hope of mercy. They had a chance to live a longer, better life off of this mountain. 

“Woah!! What?! I wanna do that!!” Inosuke jumped in the air in excitement  at watching such a feat. He ran up to another slayer, dodging a swipe then grabbing him and flung him into the trees as well. “Wahahaha!!” He laughed full-bellily as it worked just as perfectly as Kaigaku’s throw did. “Did you see that?!” 

“Yeah, yeah, good job pig.” He praised, rubbing his head between the pig’s ears once more. “Now, we just have to do the rest.” They lost one slayer to his own idiocy and wayward thinking. He refused to lose anyone else.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Not too far away, watching this scene through the eyes of her little pets was Mother. One by one her lovely little dolls were immobilized, the threads too strong to just be broken and allow them to drop. Instead she focused on the ones still free, making sure they never got caught. She was forced to go on the defensive.

“Mother…” She flinched violently at hearing that one word in that tone of voice. She turned her head to see her… son… peeking at her from behind a tree. 

“Y-yes, Rui…?” Trying not to let her fear be known, she answered her son. He saw her failure, he saw how easily they stopped her dolls. How useless she was becoming to their family, in protecting them as a mother should.

“You can win, right?” The question sounded like a threat, making her fear worsen. 

“Am I… taking too long?” Unbeknownst to her, her body curled up defensively. Rui walked out from behind the tree but didn't get any closer to her, which she was grateful for. 

“If you don’t hurry,” he dropped his voice and even though he was shorter than her she felt as if he was looking down at her. “I'll tell Father.” 

That one word caused a spark of terror to rush up her spine, making her want to flee. But she knew better than to try, so she focused on fighting. “It’s alright! I can do this!!” She shouted at him, feeling a desperation so pure flood into her body and somehow make her feel even colder. “You can count on me to protect you! No need to get him!!” Anyone but him, she would rather die by burning up in the sun than have to deal with that godforsaken thing again. 

Rui seemed pleased enough with her conviction, turning away to disappear back into the foliage. Before he left though, he left her with a few parting words. “Then hurry up.” Only when she was sure he was gone did she feel it easy to breathe again. As the fear drifted away anger moved in next. Anger at herself, at her self-appointed son, at that beast that they were forced to call Father. She directed it all into her art, into killing the slayers that dared to ruin whatever semblance of peace she had before. She just wanted to live as happily as she could with her god awful family.

“I have no choice… I have to bring out that doll!!”